Business Resources 

MDEAT to host community workshops for $10,000 Business Grant 

Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust (MDEAT) has quadrupled its Business Grant Program to $10,000. MDEAT is inviting you to its next community workshop to learn how you can cash in on this five-figure opportunity. Attendees can look forward to gaining insights on Miami-Dade County resources dedicated to helping them create business success. Grant applications will be distributed during the workshops. Applications are due on Thursday, February 23, at noon.

Workshops will cover:

• MDEAT’s Small Minority Black Business Capitalization $10,000 Grant Program 
• Ways to access capital for your business
• Best practices to expand market share
• Resources for technical assistance
• Tips for developing and optimizing business credit

Community Workshop Schedule:

• Tuesday, January 17, at 10 a.m.
  • Arcola Lakes Public Library

                240 N.W. 7th Avenue 

Miami, FL 33150

• Tuesday, January 24, at 10 a.m.
  • Westchester Regional Library

9445 Coral Way 

Miami, FL 33165

• Thursday, January 26, at 10 a.m.
  • South Dade Regional Library

10750 S.W. 211 Street

Cutler Bay, FL 33189

• Friday, January 27, at 10 a.m.
  • North Dade Regional Library 

2455 N.W. 183rd Street

Miami Gardens, FL 33056

For more information, contact Robert Parson, MDEAT Economic Development Manager, at (305) 375-5610 or Robert.Parson2@miamidade.gov. 

Covid-19 Relief Resources 

The City of North Miami Beach COVID-19 Emergency Orders, Closings, Updates, etc. please visit City of North Miami Beach’s Coronavirus webpage. 

Miami-Dade County Emergency Orders and Updates please visit Miami-Dade County’s COVID-19 webpage. 

Miami-Dade Beacon Council COVID-19 Business Resource Center

The situation sparked by COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is serious and quickly evolving, making the timely dissemination of actionable intelligence essential. We at The Beacon Council are committed to safeguarding the health and wellness of our community, and our local economy as a whole. We are gathering some of the latest, most relevant information and resources available for our business owners and workforce, updating this page on a regular basis. Please email any Coronavirus-related questions directly to the team at BeaconHelp@BeaconCouncil.com.

Biz Help Miami

We are here to help you better understand and successfully access the funding resources available to Miami-Dade small businesses, sole proprietors and freelancers (i.e., 1099) looking for relief from the impact of COVID-19. At this time, BizHelp.Miami is primarily focused on helping you navigate the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Information on other funding resources and programs to follow in the coming days.

Emergency Loan Programs

There are two emergency small business loan programs designed to assist small businesses during a disaster: 1) Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program; 2) SBA Economic Injury Loan Program. It is important to understand the distinctions between the two programs:

The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program

The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program is a State-funded short-term, interest-free working capital loan program intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a major catastrophe hits and when a business has secured longer term recovery resources, such as sufficient profits from a revived business, receipt of payments on insurance claims or federal disaster assistance. This program is currently available to Florida for-profit businesses with 2 to 100 employees. Amount: Up to $50,000 per eligible small business. Up to $50 million has been allocated for the program. Businesses with questions about the program can email: disaster@FloridaSBDC.org or call (866) 737-7232. 

SBA Economic Injury Loan Program

The SBA Economic Injury Loan is a federally funded loan program available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private nonprofit organizations. This program is anticipated to be activated later this week and as early as tomorrow. The Department of Economic Opportunity announced Sunday that Gov. DeSantis has requested that the SBA deploy the Economic Injury Loan Program. The SBA is still collecting impact information from the State’s Damage Assessment Survey. We strongly encourage all small businesses to complete this survey. Once declared, the loan program can provide up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred.

If you like more information about these programs please visit FloridaDisasterLoan.org