Virtual Town Hall Highlights Resources For Central Indiana Small Businesses

A virtual town hall Thursday highlighted the Indy Chamber efforts to help small businesses in central Indiana during the coronavirus pandemic. The organization's focus has been on minority-owned businesses that have had harder times receiving federal aid.

The Indy Chamber has created the Rapid Response Loan Fund for small businesses needing financial aid up to $25,000 and struggling to get any federal aid. Requests have flooded in, with more than 50 percent going to women and minority-owned businesses.

Ian Nicolini with the chamber says his organization has been able to assist minority-owned businesses though the pandemic. He says the next step will be finding ways to help more small businesses when the economy starts picking back up again.

“If businesses have burned through their reserves to, you know, in a 'Stay-At-Home' order situation, getting them reopened and then instituting social distancing and public health best practices is a cost that will be difficult to cover,” Nicolini says.

Indiana State Sen. J.D. Ford (D-Indianapolis) hosted the town hall to help small businesses understand what support is out there to stay afloat during the pandemic.