GoFundMe.com's Small Business Relief Fund
SOURCE: GoFundMe.com
Local businesses are the heart and soul of our communities. And they are facing a crisis. Social distancing and government-mandated shutdowns are disproportionately affecting businesses that need foot traffic to survive. Whether it’s the local bakery, pizzeria or nail salon - they need us.
The GoFundMe.org Small Business Relief Fund will provide micro-grants to qualifying small businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Small Business Relief Fund is part of the Small Business Relief Initiative: a program supported by GoFundMe and our partners. The Small Business Relief Initiative will supply financial assistance and support to businesses across the country by providing grants, tools, and resources to help during the crisis.
The GoFundMe community and the Small Business Relief Initiative partners have currently donated millions of dollars in donations into the GoFundMe.org Small Business Relief Fund. By sharing the fundraiser and donating, you can help us reach our goal of supporting as many small businesses across the country as possible. Until that Fund is depleted, GoFundMe.org will continue issuing $500 matching grants to qualifying businesses.
Current Small Business Relief Initiative partners include: Yelp, Intuit QuickBooks, Bill.com and GoDaddy.
We hope additional companies and generous individual donors will continue to contribute to this Fund in the coming weeks, in order to provide much-needed aid to even more businesses across the country. If you are interested in becoming a partner, please get in touch at info@gofundme.org.
We will be posting weekly updates, and highlighting stories of grant recipients so that you can see the direct impact of your donation. Thank you for helping small businesses and their employees, whether it’s donating directly to the fund or sharing this fundraiser with your network. When united, we can make all the difference.
Important information for small business owners:
The Small Business Relief Fund will provide one-time matching grants to qualifying small businesses to help alleviate the financial burdens during these pressing times. Donations to the relief fund will be paid out as grants to businesses that qualify, and which businesses have created a fundraiser through the Small Business Relief Initiative or had an existing GoFundMe. For small business fundraisers started prior to March 24 , or outside of the Small Business Relief Initiative partnerships, the organizer can update their fundraiser description with the hashtag #SmallBusinessRelief to be considered for a grant from this fund.
To qualify for a matching grant from the Small Business Relief Fund, the GoFundMe fundraiser must raise at least $500 and verify that your small business has been negatively impacted by a government mandate due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your small business must be independently owned and operated, and must not be nationally dominant in your field of operation. Each recipient of the matching grant must intend on using the funds to help care for your employees or pay ongoing business expenses.
All donations to the Small Business Relief Fund will be collected and administered by GoFundMe.org, the advocacy and charitable arm of GoFundMe. GoFundMe.org is a tax-exempt public charity, registered in the United States (EIN 81-2279757). Donations are tax-deductible, to the extent allowed by law.
Small Business Relief Initiative Partners:
We can’t do it alone. Thanks to you and our partners, we are able to amplify our efforts to help small businesses across the country.
Yelp:
Together, Yelp and GoFundMe are making it easy for people to donate directly to the businesses they love and support their communities. By leveraging Yelp’s opt-in program, business owners claim their GoFundMe fundraiser with the click of a button. It will be displayed on the business’s Yelp page, giving more visibility to the fundraiser. Read more about the partnership here: https://bit.ly/2Rk8CDa
Intuit QuickBooks:
Small businesses are feeling the effect of social distancing measures. Intuit QuickBooks is offering comprehensive resources to help business owners ensure as few financial losses as possible during the pandemic. Read more about the partnership here: https://bwnews.pr/2wmgPzo
GoDaddy:
Through this partnership, all GoDaddy Websites + Marketing customers can quickly share their GoFundMe fundraiser on their website by using the new Fundraising widget. With a few clicks, Websites + Marketing owners can simply add a new section on their website for visitors to donate to their GoFundMe. Read more about the partnership here: https://bit.ly/2Xg4Y14
Bill.com:
While many businesses face a significant decline in revenue, Bill.com aims to support the small business community. They are waiving the first three months of subscription fees for new customers, extending support hours and offering resources to help business owners navigate these unprecedented times. Read more about the partnership here: https://bwnews.pr/39JJvjD
Important information for businesses wanting to donate:
If you are a corporation looking to donate to this fund and providing a matching incentive, please email info@gofundme.org for more details.
The 501(c)(3) charity will issue grants to coronavirus-related fundraisers that concentrate on helping small businesses. Each GoFundMe fundraiser is verified in order to assure that your donation is going towards the specific cause. Any funds which can not be granted out to fundraisers will be granted to other charitable organizations serving the same purposes stated here.
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