2020 CARES Act – Financial Supports for Small Business

Whether a business is impacted by weather-related disasters, road construction or sudden economic downturns, having a plan to mitigate the impacts can be crucial to the immediate and long-term survival of the business. Unforeseen circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may require owners to re-evaluate their business models, cut operating costs and seek outside financial supports – all to keep cash flowing and the business open. To help small businesses during the pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27. It contains 349 billion in relief for American small businesses and workers. Purpose and eligibility vary with each program so contact your local funder, Nebraska Business Development Center or the Small Business Administration (SBA) for the latest information on the CARES Act and application assistance. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provides loan forgiveness for retaining employees or independent contractors during the COVID-19 crisis. Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) & Emergency Economic Injury Grant provides an emergency advance up to 10,000 to small businesses and non-profits harmed by COVID-19. SBA Express Bridge Loan allows a business owner who has a current relationship with an SBA lender to secure a quick turnaround loan of up to $25,000. Small Business Debt Relief provides a financial reprieve to small businesses with non-disaster SBA loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Small Business Tax Provision provides tax relief for employers subject to closure or economic hardship due to government order limiting commerce, travel or group meetings or experiencing a greater than 50 percent reduction in quarterly receipts, measured on a year-over- year basis

Community-based Entrepreneurship: A Community Development Strategy

For the past twelve years, the NebraskaEDGE Program has assisted nascent and active entrepreneurs through the delivery of a community-based educational program. Administered by the Center for Applied Rural Innovation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the program’s overall goals are to build community capacity, develop new entrepreneurial support coalitions and increase entrepreneurial activity within the community and region

Community Engagement: Nine Principles

Although community development has its roots in nearly a century of practice and research, it is only since the mid-90’s that community development researchers realized that to address larger and more complex societal issues, community members need to be more involved in the development process. One such awareness for greater involvement stemmed from Putnam’s wake-up call in “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital” (1995) where Putnam cited American’s declining civic engagement and social net-works. What has since evolved is the theory and practice of Community Engagement

Rural Development Hubs, a Possibility for Nebraska?

The Aspen Institute, Community Strategies Group conducted an analysis of 43 Rural Development Hubs from across the country to discover their strategies, organizational structures, regional roles, and practices. Their aim was to learn how rural regions can help investors, policymakers and other local and regional decision-makers better serve their regions. The following provides an overview of their findings detailed in the report: Rural Development Hubs: Strengthening America’s Rural Innovation Infrastructure. The report provides an opportunity for further discussion on the potential role of Rural Development Hubs in Nebraska. Rural Development Hubs are defined as a “place-rooted organization working hand-in -glove with people and organizations across a region to build inclusive wealth, increase local capacity and create opportunities to improve livelihoods, health and well-being.” Their roles include helping to identify and connect regional assets to market demands. They focus on the broader, regional systems that either contribute to or hinder regional prosperity. Effective Hubs utilize local assets to create and sustain enterprises that retain greater wealth within these regions. This wealth is reinvested in the region to sustain the health and well-being of communities and people. Hubs work within the context of local people building their capacity to make and influence strategies, actions, and investments to improve their regions

Community-based Entrepreneurship: A Community Development Strategy

For the past twelve years, the NebraskaEDGE Program has assisted nascent and active entrepreneurs through the delivery of a community-based educational program. Administered by the Center for Applied Rural Innovation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the program’s overall goals are to build community capacity, develop new entrepreneurial support coalitions and increase entrepreneurial activity within the community and region

2020 CARES Act – Financial Supports for Small Business

Whether a business is impacted by weather-related disasters, road construction or sudden economic downturns, having a plan to mitigate the impacts can be crucial to the immediate and long-term survival of the business. Unforeseen circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may require owners to re-evaluate their business models, cut operating costs and seek outside financial supports – all to keep cash flowing and the business open. To help small businesses during the pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27. It contains 349 billion in relief for American small businesses and workers. Purpose and eligibility vary with each program so contact your local funder, Nebraska Business Development Center or the Small Business Administration (SBA) for the latest information on the CARES Act and application assistance. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provides loan forgiveness for retaining employees or independent contractors during the COVID-19 crisis. Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) & Emergency Economic Injury Grant provides an emergency advance up to 10,000 to small businesses and non-profits harmed by COVID-19. SBA Express Bridge Loan allows a business owner who has a current relationship with an SBA lender to secure a quick turnaround loan of up to $25,000. Small Business Debt Relief provides a financial reprieve to small businesses with non-disaster SBA loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Small Business Tax Provision provides tax relief for employers subject to closure or economic hardship due to government order limiting commerce, travel or group meetings or experiencing a greater than 50 percent reduction in quarterly receipts, measured on a year-over- year basis

Community Engagement: Nine Principles

Although community development has its roots in nearly a century of practice and research, it is only since the mid-90’s that community development researchers realized that to address larger and more complex societal issues, community members need to be more involved in the development process. One such awareness for greater involvement stemmed from Putnam’s wake-up call in “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital” (1995) where Putnam cited American’s declining civic engagement and social net-works. What has since evolved is the theory and practice of Community Engagement

Agriculture and Community Well-Being: A review of three research studies.

Personal observations are often obscure to the facts. For instance, recently I worked at a booth at Husker Harvest Days. The booth focused on rural community development. My observations were that many of the agricultural producers decided to not stop at our booth or for those who did stop, conversations showed a disconnect of the importance of their local community to their farm operations. Similarly, when working with communities, I have observed the lack of understanding of the importance of the agricultural producers to the local community’s well-being. Why the disconnect between these two very important components of our rural regions? Were my observations incorrect? According to research studies conducted in three different countries, that answer is both a yes and a no

2020 CARES Act – APOYO FINANCIERO PARA PEQUEÑAS EMPRESAS

Ya sea que un negocio se vea afectado por desastres relacionados con el clima, la construcción de carreteras o las recesiones económicas repentinas, tener un plan para mitigar los impactos puede ser crucial para la supervivencia inmediata y a largo plazo del negocio. Circunstancias imprevistas, como la pandemia de COVID-19, pueden requerir que los propietarios reevalúen sus modelos de negocios, reduzcan los costos operativos y busquen apoyos financieros externos, todo para mantener el flujo de efectivo y abrir el negocio. Para ayudar a las pequeñas empresas durante la pandemia, el 27 de marzo se promulgó la Ley de Ayuda y Seguridad Económica Coronavirus (CARES) el cual incluye $ 349 mil millones en ayuda para pequeñas empresas y trabajadores estadounidenses. El propósito y la elegibilidad varían con cada programa, así que comuníquese con su agencia financiera local, Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), Small Business Administration -Español (SBA-Spanis) o NE CVI Extension Latino Small Business Program para obtener la información más reciente sobre 2020 CARES Act y la asistencia para la solicitud

New Youth Entrepreneurship Curriculum on the Horizon

The Agricultural Economics Department at the University of NebraskaSLincoln is teaming up with UNL’s Extension 4-H Development Program to produce a youth entrepreneurship curricula that incorporates 4-H projects, entrepreneurship, schools and community