In this Must Know…
- Small Businesses Aiding the Vaccine Effort
- Welcome New CAMEO Members!
- Congratulations to Heidi, Emily, and Susan on their CAMEO anniversaries!
- This week’s Goodie highlight is SBA raising the loan limit for the COVID-19 EIDL program, starting this week.
Small Businesses Aiding the Vaccine Effort
Small businesses continue to struggle through this pandemic. With nearly 20% of the US adult population being employed by a small business, the recovery of this sector is crucial to the recovery of the economy at large.
A new survey by Reimagine Main Street in partnership with the U.S. Black Chambers and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce shows that small business owners are aware of the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine in the recovery efforts and are willing to work with public health officials to incentivize vaccination among their employees.
Some takeaways from the survey:
- The majority of small employers (64%) believe it is important for their employees to get vaccinated.
- The majority (63%) of small business owners are willing to encourage or incentivize their employees to get vaccinated, with AAPI and Black employers being the most willing to do so.
- More than half of employers are eager to work with public health officials or other trusted partners to receive guidance about the vaccines.
CAMEO is participating in getting the word out. Reimagine Wall Street has tip sheets in multiple languages specifically targeted to different demographics, to help small businesses lead in the vaccine effort.
Welcome New Members!
The CAMEO network keeps growing all the time. During the first quarter of 2021, we welcomed four new members to our ranks. You can learn more about them below:
- Alternatives Federal Credit Union
- California Hmong Chamber of Commerce
- Oakland Indie Alliance
- Umpqua Community Lending
Staff Anniversaries
Three of our staff members are celebrating work anniversaries in May! Congratulations to:
- Heidi Pickman, our VP of Programs and Policy, for 10 years with CAMEO
- Emily Gasner, our VP of Strategic Initiatives and Operations, for 2 years with CAMEO and a former board member
- Susan Brown, our VP of Training, for 1 year as full-time staff and a valuable team member as a consultant for about 12 years
The Goodies
For Your Clients
- Starting the week of April 6, 2021, SBA is raising the loan limit for the COVID-19 EIDL program from 6-months of economic injury with a max loan amount of $150,000 to up to 24-months of economic injury with a max loan amount of $500,000.
- Citibank is hosting six PPP educational webinars during April and May 2021, focused on First Draw PPP loans and PPP loan forgiveness.
New Research
- The SBA Office of Advocacy published Small Business Facts: Science/High-Tech Workers and Small Firms.
- The Aspen Institute’s new paper, “Race and Gender Wealth Equity and the Role of Employee Share Ownership,” makes a case for why policymakers, funders, and investors who care about racial and gender wealth equity should support employee share ownership.
Professional Opportunities
- UC Berkeley is hosting a virtual symposium on April 13, 2021 that brings together California state legislators to share their visions of the future of California.
- Credit Builders Alliance is now accepting applications for their 2021 Credit as an Asset Master Trainer Certification Program. Applications are due April 30, 2021.
Other Goodies
- Take Action: Sign Worker-Owned Recovery CA’s letter to encourage state senators and assembly people to support worker ownership conversion as part of the economic recovery package.
- Jobs: OFN, TMC Community Capital, California FarmLink, EDFC, and Renaissance announced new jobs recently. See who else is hiring!