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published on April 24, 2020 - 2:54 PM
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The Fresno City Council approved additional funding of $1.5 million for the Save Our Small Business Program that was implemented at the end of March to provide assistance to local businesses affected by the coronavirus.

The money was initially approved Thursday in a 4-3 vote. It will face a final council vote next week.

Last month, the Fresno City Council passed the ā€œSave our Small Business Actā€ which appropriated $750,000 in funds to be administered by local small business lender Access Plus Capital, which is part of the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC).

More than 2,500 applications were submitted citywide, amounting to more than $8.5 million in funds requested, impacting 7,200 jobs.

Awardees for the first round of funding are still in the process of being notified and completing the final paperwork, with the $750,000 to be disbursed after.

During the first round of the program, 116 businesses across the city were selected to receive $5,000 if they had five or fewer employees, or $10,000 for businesses with more than five employees.

ā€œThough I am excited to be able to utilize City resources to help these 116 businesses, 19 of them in District 2, what we have seen through this application process is there is a much greater need in the City of Fresno,ā€ said Councilman Mike Karbassi. ā€œThis needs to continue to be a priority, and I am committed to finding additional resources through COVID-19 relief efforts.”


Related story: Applications now available for Fresnoā€™s COVID-19 relief loans


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