Resources to support businesses

The following resources are available to businesses that need additional support. These resources can be found on our COVID-19 Business Resource Center.

• Governor Polis recently worked with legislative leadership to provide a one-time direct $375 cash payment to over 435,000 Coloradans who have faced unemployment during the pandemic. Coloradans will receive the payment in early December.

• Alternative Sources of Funding: The following Google sheet helps Colorado’s small businesses find alternative funding sources beyond EIDL, PPP, and other federal loans and programs.

• Colorado COVID Legal Relief: This organization matches volunteer attorneys with Colorado businesses in need to help them make informed decisions and get back on their feet.

• Emergency Rental Assistance: The Colorado Department of Local Affairs supports landowners and tenants facing eviction and foreclosure.

• Layoff Assistance: The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment outlines a number of programs and resources to help business owners make difficult decisions around laying off employees.

• Email the Small Business Navigator: We can direct you to resources and answer questions you may have. If you would like to call the navigator, the phone number is (303) 860-5881 (hours are Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm).

Energize Colorado also provides a number of resources to help small businesses including financial resources, business guidance, free professional services, and mental health resources.

Legislature called into special session

Governor Polis announced that he will be calling a special legislative session to provide immediate relief to the economic and financial hardships that many Coloradans are facing.

The special session will include:

• a small business relief package for those businesses that have been most impacted by capacity limits, including bars and restaurants, with direct aid and tax relief, in order to assist them in surviving the winter months

• housing and rental assistance for those struggling to make ends meet

• support for child care providers to help them open and stay open to ensure parents can get back to work

• expanding broadband access to students and educators to ensure students can learn online during periods of remote learning; and

• support for Colorado food pantries and banks

Colorado’s Constitution mandates that we operate with a balanced state budget. That’s why federal assistance is so vital during times of crisis. Governor Polis continues to engage Colorado’s federal delegation to urge them to work together to pass the HEROES Act or an alternate stimulus package to provide immediate state and local relief to Coloradans in economic distress.

New dial framework goes live on Friday

The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) is making updates to the Red level of the COVID-19 dial that will ask Coloradans to avoid all interactions with people outside of their households to help lower transmission rates. The updated dial will be effective Friday, November 20, 2020. 

Counties in the Red level are considered at severe risk and will be subject to updated restrictions, including:

• Indoor dining is temporarily closed. Restaurants and coffee shops can still offer take out and delivery, and they can offer outdoor dining with a last call at 8 p.m., but only to customers in groups with members of their own household. Bars remain closed.

• Gyms can operate at 10% capacity or allow up to 10 people per room with reservations. They can also operate outdoors in groups of up to 10 people.

• In-person personal gatherings are not permitted.

• All gatherings between households of any size in any location, public or private should not be taking place while your county is in the severe risk phase.

• All at-risk populations are recommended to stay at home.

CDPHE has notified a number of counties that they will move to Level Red on Friday, November 20.

Be sure to visit OEDIT's COVID-19 Business Resource Center, as that webpage has the most recent news and resources.