On Monday, April 6, the SBA issued some clarification and guidance regarding the EIDL grant program. The good news is that checks for this grant should start being distributed this week. The not so good news is that not everyone will be receiving the full $10,000 grant.

I am seeing a lot of people online worrying about the tax ramifications of the stimulus checks that should be going out in the next few weeks, and I wanted to clear some things up. We all have enough to worry about right now, and I want to ease your minds regarding these checks.

We are getting lots of questions about the Payroll Protection Program. It is supposed to begin rollout today, but there is a lot of confusion around this program, from both lenders and potential borrowers. New guidance from the federal government was issued last night, but many banks will not be ready to begin accepting applications until next week at the earliest.

I am seeing and hearing a lot of confusion from local business owners about what resources are best for them, and what they might qualify for. Brian Thompson wrote this great article for Forbes Magazine answering a lot of questions that you may have about SBA loans, double dipping, and more.

The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce has been organizing some very helpful and informative webinars related to the new SBA programs instituted by the CARES Act.