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Champaign County EDC has free webinars this week

Champaign County Economic Development Corporation and the Small Business Development Center are offering more free webinars this week to help you with your small business. Follow the links to register for the free events. 

COVID-19 Financial Assistance for Illinois Small Businesses & Non-Profits, April 15th, 2-3 p.m. or April 17th, 10-11 a.m.

This webinar, led by SBDC Director Don Elmore, will provide details about the financial options available, including eligibility requirements, what documents are necessary to apply, program terms, and more. The webinar will be approximately 30-45 minutes of presentation time followed by Q&A. Participants will be able to ask questions in the chat box, which will be addressed at the end of the presentation, moderated by a member of our team.

Topics to be covered:
SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program & Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance
SBA – Express Bridge Loans
CARES Act – Paycheck Protection Program
SBA – 7(a) Borrower Relief
State of Illinois – Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund
State of Illinois – Downstate Small Business Stabilization Program
Accion – Expedited Line of Credit (+ other Accion services)
Illinois Small Business COVID-19 Relief Program

Understanding the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Pre-Award Process, April 16th, 10-11 a.m.

Be prepared for grant opportunities! The Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) provides uniform guidance for all State of Illinois grant programs. All grant applicants and grantees must comply with GATA grant requirements, which includes the following steps *before* receiving a grant award:

  • pre-qualification on the GATA Grantee Portal (must be completed before an entity can submit a grant application to the State of Illinois)
  • completion of two risk assessments (must be completed at any time before the issuance of a state award): fiscal and administrative – Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ) and Programmatic Risk Assessment (PRAQ)

This session will provide detailed information on all of the steps required as part of the GATA process + you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions.

How to Navigate Your Marketing Strategies During COVID-19, April 17th, 2-3 p.m.

Presented By: Scott Clanin, Clanin Marketing

There’s no doubt that effective communication matters now more than ever – and it can be overwhelming to think about the best strategies + where you should focus your time. Clanin Marketing will share 5 things you should do now (i.e. optimizing your social media accounts) and 5 things to consider for your messaging (i.e. monitoring your language / images).

Topics to be covered:

  • Tips on managing your Google listing, website, and social media accounts
  • Email marketing and search engine optimization best practices
  • Ways balance your marketing messaging through this pandemic

The webinar will be approximately 30-45 minutes of presentation time followed by Q&A. Participants will be able to ask questions in the chat box, which will be addressed at the end of the presentation, moderated by a member of our team.

Image from Facebook event page.

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