Business Update from the Town of Bedford - April 27, 2020
The Town of Bedford values the business community as an important piece of the fabric of our community. Bedford Town Manager, Sarah Stanton, invites the business community to reach out to the Town of Bedford for guidance and help. Business updates from the Economic Development Office are provided below. Please contact Alyssa Sandoval, Economic Development Director, at [email protected] for questions and guidance.
CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Receives Additional Funding

The SBA will accept PPP applications from lenders beginning Monday, April 27th at 10:30 am. If interested, small businesses impacted by COVID-19 should work with their lender to apply for the PPP as soon as possible. If you have already started working with a bank on your PPP loan, please continue to do so. For more information of the PPP program, please see the SBA website .

Please note that the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program is no longer taking new applications.
COVID-19 Business Survey
Help the Town of Bedford understand the needs of your business during the COVID-19 crisis. The input will be used for Bedford’s business recovery strategy and to communicate Bedford’s business needs to federal, state and local agencies.

Pandemic Unemployment Insurance Now Available
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of a COVID-19-related reason but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits, such as self-employed, independent contractors, workers with limited work history, and others. More information here: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-pandemic-unemployment-assistance
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Helping Others
We are extremely gratified by the many donations by Bedford Businesses to the Bedford Food Bank Relief Fund, which provides food to households in need. Most recently, we would like to thank UCB USA for its donation of $15,000 to the Bedford Food Bank. For more information on the Bedford Food Bank and how to contribute, see https://www.bedfordma.gov/bedfordfoodbank .

In addition to its contribution to the Bedford Local Food Bank, UCB USA has donated $15,000 to the successful community campaign, Operation Feed the Soul. The group has showed wonderful initiative and creativity in their work serving front-line healthcare workers and first responders while simultaneously supporting local restaurants. For more information on Operation Feed the Soul and how to contribute, see this link at https://suzanneandcompanyre.com/blog/operation-feed-the-soul or join the Facebook Group .
Free Technical Assistance for Businesses
1.        The SBA Boston Office connects small business owners to information and technical assistance through SBA Resource Partners . These partners can provide remote counseling, workshops, and other support to businesses navigating the impacts of COVID-19 and include:
  • Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs): A network of centers that provide counseling and training to help small business owners start, grow and expand their business. Find an SBDC here.
  • SCORE: Volunteer business counselors, advisors, and mentors who offer individual free to low cost counseling throughout the U.S. and its territories. Find a SCORE mentor here.
  •  Women’s Business Centers: WBCs provide free to low cost counseling and training and focus on women who want to start, grow and expand their small business. Find a WBC here.
  •  Veterans Business Outreach Centers: Designed to provide entrepreneurial development services and referrals for eligible veterans owning or considering starting a small business. Find a VBOC here.
 
2.        Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) also has dedicated tools to support companies managing the impacts of COVID-19 on their businesses.
The COVID-19 Small Business Stabilization Network consists of MGCC Small Business Technical Assistance grantees, nonprofit organizations offering small business supports, including lending, financial education, and business coaching. Read about the COVID-19 Small Business Stabilization Network here. You can also consult a list of technical assistance providers participating in the Network.
Restaurant News!
Y ou now have the ability to order beer and wine with your food takeout for restaurants that hold on-premise alcohol licenses. Bedford continues to support our local restaurants, and we are lucky to have such a great variety. We have updated the current list of Bedford’s open restaurants to include restaurants that provide wine and beer takeout at www.bedfordtakeout.com
Town of Bedford | www.bedfordma.gov