COVID-19 RESOURCES

FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS | LOCAL ENGAGEMENT | STATEWIDE ORDERS | ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The latest Covid-19 guidance from the state of Wyoming say that the restrictions on masking have been lifted. Masks may be required at the discretion of the business owners. As always, be mindful of the people around you, and stay home if you feel sick.

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Financial Aid Programs

Laramie & Albany County

LCBA & City of Laramie COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Grant/Loan

The Laramie Chamber Business Alliance (LCBA) and City of Laramie announce the availability of grants and loans to support COVID-19 recovery and relief for local businesses!

Applications and instructions can be downloaded here:

Application & Instructions

Only complete applications will be accepted. All other grants and loan requests will be reviewed and awarded on first come, first served basis.

United Way of Albany County COVID-19 Emergency Fund

United Way of Albany County has established a fund to provide financial support to local nonprofits for their extra-ordinary and unprecedented expenses related to Covid-19. Our social services nonprofits, which make up the core of our Laramie Community, provide for many basic needs, including food, clothing, and shelter. The fund we have created, COVID-19 Response Fund, is providing micro-grants to local nonprofits with these emergency expenses.

Become a funding partner

The fund has raised a budget of over $150,000, with support from our Emergency Fund and several partners including:

ANB Bank
First Interstate Bank and the First Interstate Foundation
Blue FCU
UniWyo FCU
Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation
Laramie Plains FCU
Tri-State G&T
ConnectGen
Small Business Administration

If your organization is interested in becoming a funding partner, reach out to Evelyn Edson or Anastasia Brady via email or at 307-745-8643.

NON-PROFIT PARTNERS APPLY FOR FUNDING

Nonprofits looking to apply for this funding can fill out this simple application. Please send completed applications to Evelyn Edson for review.

Criteria to qualify

Your agency must be a 501(c)(3) organization.
Your agency must be located in and serve the population of Albany County, Wyoming.

As of 4/28/20 we have distributed 48 grants to 25 local nonprofits totaling over $38,000. We have the funds to distribute and we strongly encourage you to apply for assistance.

Albany County Tourism Board - COVID-19 Marketing Co-Op Program

For a limited time as part of COVID-19 relief, Albany County Tourism Board and Visit Laramie would like to offer a special co-op advertising opportunity to local businesses.

The goal of this program is to help our community rebound quicker and to help aid our local businesses, friends, and neighbors in the community with advertising costs after the impact on many due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We want our community to know that we are here to help support you through this, and as partners, we are here to help weather this storm alongside you as we believe we are all stronger together.

For details on this program, please see below.

Eligibility Requirements:

All businesses within Albany County are eligible.
The advertising must take place outside of Albany County.
Any publication or medium is eligible – print, digital, radio, TV, etc. Each business can select the medium desired based on their business needs and their customer or consumer demographic. If you are unsure if your ad will be eligible for the program, we strongly encourage you to check with the Albany County Tourism Board prior to placing the ad.
The Albany County Tourism Board logo must be present, or Albany County Tourism Board must be mentioned in some manner in the advertisement.
There is a maximum total reimbursement amount of $750 per business. Funds are available on a first come first served basis.

The process:

Your business will place the advertisement and provide payment to the vendor. Albany County
Tourism Board will provide a logo if needed.
When presented with proof of the completed advertising, Albany County Tourism Board will
subsidize your costs with a reimbursement for part of the advertising costs up to the amounts
listed below.

Reimbursement Amount Details:

For advertising that costs between 0 – $499, Albany County Tourism Board will reimburse up to
$250 in costs.
For advertising that costs between $500 – $1499, Albany County Tourism Board will reimburse
up to $500 in costs.
For advertising that costs $1500 or more, Albany County Tourism Board will reimburse up to
$750.

Questions? Please call 307-745-4195 or email director@visitlaramie.org for more information.

State of wyoming

Wyoming Business Interruption Stipend

Coronavirus Business Relief Stipend

Coronavirus Mitigation Stipend

FEDERAL & NATIONAL PROGRAMS

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, issued new and revised guidance for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This guidance implements the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (PPPFA), signed into law by President Trump on June 5, 2020, and expands eligibility for businesses with owners who have past felony convictions.

To implement the PPPFA, SBA revised its first PPP interim final rule, which was posted on April 2, 2020. As described in detail in the SBA’s announcement on June 8, 2020, the new rule updates provisions relating to loan maturity, deferral of loan payments, and forgiveness provisions.

SBA issued revised PPP application forms to conform to these changes. The guidance and revised application forms are available on SBA’s and Treasury’s websites. SBA will issue additional guidance regarding loan forgiveness and a revised forgiveness application to implement the PPPFA in the near future.

SBA PPP Interim Final Rules

SBA PPP Borrower Application Form

SBA PPP Lender Application Form

Federal Disaster Loan

To further meet the needs of U.S. small businesses and non-profits, the U.S. Small Business Administration has reopened the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance program portal to all eligible applicants experiencing economic impacts due to COVID-19.

SBA’s EIDL program offers long-term, low interest assistance for a small business or non-profit. These loans can provide vital economic support to help alleviate temporary loss of revenue. EIDL assistance can be used to cover payroll and inventory, pay debt or fund other expenses. Additionally, the EIDL Advance will provide up to $10,000 ($1,000 per employee) of emergency economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing temporary difficulties, and these emergency grants do not have to be repaid.

SBA's COVID-19 ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOAN (EIDL) and EIDL ADVANCE

The SBA is offering low interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses and non-profit organizations that are suffering substantial economic injury as a result of COVID-19 in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories.
These loans may be used to pay debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact, and that are not already covered by a Paycheck Protection Program loan. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%.
To keep payments affordable for small businesses, SBA offers loans with long repayment terms, up to a maximum of 30 years. Plus, the first payment is deferred for one year.
In addition, small businesses and non-profits may request, as part of their loan application, an EIDL Advance of up to $10,000. The EIDL Advance is designed to provide emergency economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. This advance will not have to be repaid, and small businesses may receive an advance even if they are not approved for a loan.
SBA’s EIDL and EIDL Advance are just one piece of the expanded focus of the federal government’s coordinated response.
The SBA is also assisting small businesses and non-profits with access to the federal forgivable loan program, the Paycheck Protection Program, which is currently accepting applications until June 30, 2020.

Main Street Lending Program

As a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Federal Reserve has created the Main Street Lending Program to provide a total of $600 billion in financing for small and medium-sized businesses.

While the program’s start date has yet to be announced, here’s what you need to know to check eligibility and get ready to apply:

COVID-19 Main Street Lending Program

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Local Engagement

City of Laramie & Albany County School District Playground Closures Due to COVID-19

April 1, 2020

LARAMIE, WYOMING: The City of Laramie & Albany County School District, following recommendations from the National Recreation & Parks Association and the Albany County Public Health Officer, are closing all playgrounds effective immediately. This closure is designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 through eliminating touch surfaces. This closure will stay in effect until further…

The Power of Storytelling for Your Business

March 31, 2020

Local marketing expert, Jessica Brauer presents powerful marketing tools. This storytelling guide is a collaborative effort between LCBA, the Laramie Main Street Alliance and the Albany County Tourism Board. A do-it-yourself guide for capturing and sharing YOUR UNIQUE narrative to boost sales, capture customers and create social capital for your business. Below is the recorded…

Demand High for Layoff Aversion Grants offered to Wyoming businesses

March 30, 2020

CHEYENNE – Wyoming businesses exceeded the grant application limit for the Layoff Aversion Grants offered by the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) and the Wyoming Workforce Development Council (WWDC) last week. The effort offered $300,000 in grants to support businesses in order to avert or shorten layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wyoming. Grant funding…

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statewide orders

Public health orders remain unchanged as COVID-19 case numbers increase

June 29, 2020

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Wyoming’s current public health orders will be extended through July 15 as the number of cases of COVID-19 in the state continues to steadily increase, Governor Mark Gordon announced today. Twenty-five percent of Wyoming’s total number of lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the past two weeks, with 288 new…

Indoor gathering limits increased, parades permitted under updated health orders

June 10, 2020

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Updated public health orders that take effect June 15 will continue to ease restrictions on public gatherings in Wyoming, Governor Mark Gordon announced today. The updated orders allow indoor gatherings of up to 250 people with restrictions, permit parades to occur (with appropriate social distancing), and allow K-12 schools, community colleges, the University,…

Statewide order pertaining to public gatherings

April 30, 2020

Governor Mark Gordon announced April 28, 2020 that the public health order forbidding gatherings of ten (10) or more people will be extended through May 15, 2020.