The City of Oakland and Working Solutions have announced the disbursement of 90 emergency grants to extremely low-income small business owners in Oakland to help them weather the COVID-19 crisis. Demand was overwhelming, and more funding is needed to provide additional grants to Oakland’s most vulnerable businesses. To donate to the Oakland Small Business Emergency Grant Program, please visit www.workingsolutions.org/donate.

On April 21, 2020, Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi was interviewed on KCBS Radio’s “Ask An Expert” program about resources and options available to small business owners during the COVID-19 crisis. Listen to the interview here. (Image credit: KCBS Radio)

As we navigate the COVID-19 crisis together, Working Solutions continues to respond to the needs of our small business community. We recognize that this crisis will require multiple phases of response—immediate, near-term, and long-term—and we will be here for our community both now and in the coming months as we continue to feel the effects and see the ramifications of this crisis. We are committed to utilizing all of the tools at our disposal to support our local, small businesses.

Working Solutions is here to support our small business clients and others in our community who are being impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. If you need assistance for your business, please contact us at (415) 780-1217 or info@workingsolutions.org so that we can discuss your particular situation and figure out how we can help. As we have done in past emergencies, we will work with our clients and partners in the days, weeks, and months ahead to ensure we serve our community as best we can. (Image credit: City and County of San Francisco)

February was a busy month for the Working Solutions team! From tabling to presenting, our program staff took part in events across the Bay Area to share information about our loans and business consulting services. We were also excited to participate in our first-ever Twitter chat hosted by Small Business Majority in honor of Black History Month.

Working Solutions is grateful to have received a grant renewal from Bank of the West to support women entrepreneurs and other underserved communities across the San Francisco Bay Area. We are proud to partner with Bank of the West on the Women Entrepreneurs program and look forward to our continued work together!

Working Solutions was excited to participate in a resource fair for small businesses in the Temescal district of Oakland. Hosted by the Temescal/Telegraph Business Improvement District, this event was designed to help small business owners access resources to help grow and sustain their businesses.

Working Solutions was proud to be a sponsor of the 2020 State of Local Manufacturing Breakfast held by Manufacture: San Jose on February 6—an event designed to highlight the city's vibrant manufacturing sector and how it is supporting a more equitable and diverse local economy.

Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi was interviewed in American Banker about proposed revisions to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). In the article, she shares concerns about how a suggested dollar-driven measurement system could undermine smaller community investments from CDFIs like ours.