DEED begins making Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments to self-employed & independent contractors

April 28, 2020 By Sarah

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced on Friday, April 24 the agency began making Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments to people who are self-employed, independent contractors, and other eligible recipients who are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits.

Here’s what you need to know about applying for PUA:

If you have already applied for regular unemployment benefits, you do not need to do anything extra to qualify for PUA. DEED will automatically establish a PUA benefit account for you if you are eligible.
If you have not applied for unemployment benefits yet, special instructions for self-employed and 1099 workers are available here. These instructions include steps you can take to make your account easily identifiable as potentially eligible for PUA.
- If you applied for unemployment benefits without following those instructions, don’t worry – you don’t need to change anything. Your account will still be reviewed for PUA eligibility.
If you have not heard from DEED yet, don’t worry. We expect to be in touch with most people who are eligible for benefits under PUA by the end of April. There is no need to call or follow-up; you will hear from us proactively if we need additional information to determine eligibility.
You will receive information about PUA benefits in your online account, by email, and by mail.
Applicants who receive PUA benefits will also receive the $600/week additional payment.
PUA benefits will be backdated to whenever you first became eligible due to COVID-19.

Additional information, including answers to many commonly asked questions, can be found here: COVID-19 information for self-employed people and independent contractors

Assistance for Businesses and Contractors due to COVID-19

April 1, 2020 By Sarah

There are some programs coming on-line or changing that can help businesses and self-employed people coming out of the Federal CARES Act signed into law last week that we want to draw your attention to:

Businesses should be planning their requests to the new Paycheck Protection Program. The program becomes live as soon as this Friday (4/3). Businesses (including self-employed) can receive forgivable loans up-to-250% of its payroll to support its employees and occupancy expenses. No collateral requirements, no fees, no payments for 6 months. The loan is forgiven in eight weeks if the business can show it used the funds for eligible expenses. Lending through the businesses’ bank or an SBA qualified lender. The City is working with the Too Local to Fail Coalition led by the Minneapolis Chamber. We will be launching an awareness campaign for this resource tomorrow, so you will see more on it. Included in this campaign is a webinar hosted by Sunrise Banks at 1 p.m. tomorrow. We will share details on accessing that webinar as soon as these are available.

paycheck-protection-program-ppp

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans are live. These loans are up-to-$2 million at 3.75% with favorable teams. What’s new is that the SBA streamlined its process and now offers now an up-front $10,000 grant against the loan.

https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance

The CARES Act also included the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. This program expands who is eligible for Unemployment Insurance to those individuals who do not qualify for regular unemployment compensation and are unable to work because of COVID-19. This includes self-employed workers (including gig workers and independent contractors), part-time workers, and those with limited work histories. It also increases unemployment benefits and make them available for additional weeks to benefits. The State of Minnesota administers this program. It is awaiting guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on how to implement the program and the expanded services will be available in the near future.

https://www.uimn.org/

Disaster Loans & Immediate Financial Support for Small Businesses Now Available

March 26, 2020 By Sarah

The Small Business Administration has announced an Economic Injury Disaster Loan program to support businesses affected by COVID-19. If you’re a business owner who has been impacted by this crisis, you can apply for a disaster loan online. There are a number of forms it is helpful to fill out beforehand, and you can see a list of those — along with more information about this program — here. In addition, the Small Business Administration’s Minnesota office is hosting two trainings, twice a day every day, until our community’s needs are met. Find the full listing of upcoming trainings and register by scrolling down the “Small Business Events” section of this website and selecting “show entire month.”

In another executive order, Governor Tim Walz authorized the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to launch a Small Business Emergency Loan program for those whose operations have been affected by COVID-19. This program offers immediate assistance to small businesses and independent contractors, groups that are among the most impacted by the pandemic. The program is designed to help with immediate needs as federal and other aid programs get underway, including independent contractors’ needs – we have many of these workers in our community, and getting resources to them is critical.

In total, this program will deploy $30 million in state funds through a lender network to make loans of $2,500 to $35,000 for qualifying small businesses. The loans will be 50% forgivable and offered at a 0% interest rate. If you have questions, email ELP@state.mn.us.

Nicollet Open Streets This Sunday: Enjoying Our Main Street by Ped & Pedal!

September 13, 2016 By Sarah

Nicollet Open Streets returns on Sunday, September 18th: from Kmart to 46th Street, between 11 AM and 5 PM. It’s a celebration for our street, with activities, music, food, and more! So put on your walking shoes—the street will be closed to motorized transportation—and see what’s great about our neighborhoods from a different perspective.

Now organized by a three-neighborhood partnership of Kingfield, Lyndale, and Whittier, Nicollet Open Streets has grown into our largest annual festival. Last year this event brought out over 100 businesses and nonprofit organizations and more than 11,500 people. To get ready for this year, KFNA, LNA, and the Whittier Alliance have been working for months with the Minneapolis Bike Coalition, as well as with local businesses and nonprofits, to bring the best of our neighborhoods to you. It really will be even bigger and better!

See the online MAP of all the activities!

[Read more…]

Calling All Artists & Homebased Businesses to Nicollet Open Streets!

September 6, 2016 By Sarah

To reserve a space, visit here.

Local Artists/ Entrepreneurs—come enjoy a vibrant street atmosphere and your work being seen by over 10,000 people on a single day! To help showcase all of our great local artists we’re hosting an Artist Alley on the 3400 block of Nicollet at this year’s Open Streets event. 10-by-10-foot spaces will be rented to artists for $30. We hope to reflect our community’s love of art while providing local artists an opportunity to showcase their work.

Limited to the first 20 artists. Must set up for the entire event 11 AM – 5 PM and provide your own tent, tables, and cash box as well as submit a ST-19 Sales Tax form. May begin setting at 10 AM; tear down must be completed by 5:30 PM. Spaces will be in the street, adjacent to the curb.

To reserve a space, visit here. For questions contact Sarah Linnes-Robinson, Kingfield Neighborhood Executive Director at info@kingfield.org or 612-823-5980. Payments along with the form must be written to the Lyndale Neighborhood Association and mailed to LNA, 3537 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis MN, 55409.

Payment must be received by September 15th, 2016. We reserve the right to refuse any person from participating for any reason.

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