The Oakland CARES Act Home-Based Business Grant Program, administered by Working Solutions, will provide COVID-19 relief grants of $2,000 to $4,000 to home-based, for-profit businesses in Oakland. The application window is now closed.

Working Solutions is thrilled to be one of 10 nonprofits across the country selected to receive new grant funding from HSBC to expand economic opportunity for underserved individuals and communities. Thank you to HSBC for supporting our work as a financial first responder for San Francisco Bay Area small businesses during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi has been named to the newly-created REDF Impact Investing Fund (RIIF) Advisory Council. This group of diverse leaders will provide expertise and thought partnership for RIIF’s social impact objectives. Sara looks forward to working with the other members of the Advisory Council and REDF staff to support RIIF’s mission to finance social enterprises that create jobs to build a more inclusive economy for all.

The Sonoma County Small Business Stabilization Grant Program, administered by Working Solutions, is providing COVID-19 relief grants of $2,500 to $15,000 to small businesses in Sonoma County. The application window is now closed. [Ver esta información en español aquí.]

Working Solutions is proud to have received a new grant from the CDFI Fund—through a highly competitive federal grant program that is only available to certified CDFIs. Thank you to the CDFI Fund for supporting our work, and congratulations to our fellow grantees!

Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi was honored to participate in KCBS Radio’s inaugural Small Business Roundtable on Thursday, September 24. Sara joined KCBS Business Reporter Jason Brooks and other small business experts to take questions about small business loans, PPP, tax implications, and operating in the age of COVID-19.

Particularly during these challenging times, Working Solutions is proud to advocate at the local, state, and national levels for measures that protect small business owners from predatory lending practices. Read about the recent ways in which we have served as a voice for small business.

The City of Oakland and Working Solutions have announced the disbursement of $1.375 million in COVID-19 relief grants to 275 low-income small business owners in Oakland. Thank you to the Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund, Union Bank, and the many generous individual donors who made the Oakland Small Business Emergency Grant Program possible.

August 2020 marks the 17th annual National Black Business Month. To celebrate, join us in supporting local Black entrepreneurs by directing your purchases to Black-owned small businesses. Click below for links to several directories of Black-owned businesses. Also, make sure to check out Bay Area Black Restaurant Week, which starts on Friday, August 21.

Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi was honored to meet with California State Assemblymember Rob Bonta and staff from the offices of State Senator Jerry Hill and State Senator Steve Glazer in July as part of the Advocacy Day organized by the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO). Thank you to our state legislators for speaking with us about the needs of small business owners during this crisis and beyond.

Working Solutions joined the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and other partners in promoting the #ShopSafeShopLocal campaign this summer. Today and every day, support local small businesses to help keep our neighborhoods vibrant and diverse—and make sure to follow public health protocols to keep all employees, owners, and shoppers safe. Check out our Client Directory to find great small businesses in the Bay Area.

Check out this powerful feature in The New York Times about Working Solutions client Pancho Kachingwe, founder of The Hatch—a bar, restaurant, and community space in Oakland. The reporter followed Pancho and his employees from mid-March through mid-June as they worked hard to pivot and survive the COVID-19 crisis.