SAN FRANCISCO—On Monday, November 9, San Francisco Mayor London Breed revealed an expansion of the San Francisco Hardship and Emergency Loan Program. The program, also called SF HELP, is aimed to assist small businesses of modest to medium income and their economic recovery. It will assist in various operating expenses such as inventory, rent, and payroll.
Created in April 2020, SF HELP has funded 227 small businesses with $8.5 million in loans and programming and of the 227, 74 percent were minority-owned, while 52 percent were female-owned. According to the press release from the Office of the Mayor, “these businesses were able to retain nearly 730 jobs.” The program is a mixture of both public and private affiliations such as the City’s General Fund, Give2SF COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, and a nonprofit that aims to assist small businesses with technical services called Mission Economic Development Agency.
As stated in the press release, SF HELP will ‘provide zero interest loans of up to $50,000 to approximately 80 small businesses’ and there will be ‘no loan fees, personal guarantees, or collateral requirements for the borrower.’
“To date, we have dedicated nearly $21 million in grants and loans supporting more than 1,150 businesses,” the mayor tweeted on Monday, “but we know our small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges, which is why we’re expanding funding and support.”
For more details on SF HELP and other similar relief assistance, visit the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development website at https://oewd.org/.
