CEI

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and the City of Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish recognize the challenges that local businesses are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To meet the short-term financial needs of microenterprises and small businesses, the Resilient Restart EBR: Small Business Micro-grants Program offers one-time, micro-grants of $2,500 to eligible entities that have been impacted by COVID-19. Recipients may use these funds for rent, utilities, inventory, accounts payable, fixed costs, employee wages and benefits. To learn more about Resilient Restart EBR, please join us on March 4th from 10:00-11:3ap CT for a special webinar session. During this session, potential applicants will learn more about the program’s eligibility requirements and the application process. If you have questions about the required documentation, we encourage you to join. To register for this event, please click here. Additional sessions will be held as well. This program is activated by the CARES Act through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program with additional funding from Investar Bank, GMFS LLC, Postelthwaite & Netterville, and ExxonMobil Baton Rouge. This program is being administered by the Urban League of Louisiana. There is no cost to attend this session; […]

The Biden-Harris administration is announcing several reforms to increase access to the PPP to the nation’s smallest businesses and those that have been left behind in previous relief efforts. These efforts will extend much-needed resources to help small businesses survive, reopen, and rebuild. Recently announced updates include: - Instituting a 14-day period during which only businesses with fewer than 20 employees can apply for relief through the Program. - Helping sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals receive more financial support. - Consistent with a bipartisan bill, eliminating an exclusionary restriction that prevents small business owners with prior non-fraud felony convictions from obtaining relief through the Paycheck Protection Program. - Eliminating an exclusionary restriction that prevents small business owners who are delinquent on their federal student loans from obtaining relief through the Paycheck Protection Program. - Ensuring access for non-citizen small business owners who are lawful U.S. residents by clarifying that they may use Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to apply for relief. Join the Urban League of Louisiana, Hope Credit Union, and the SBA Louisiana District Office on Thursday, March 4, from 1:00-2:30p CST for a special webinar to learn more about these enhancements to the Paycheck Protection Program, […]

As a business owner, having your financials in order is the most important step to running your business effectively and profitability. The start of the New Year brings a new opportunity to get your accounting system and processes set up the right way. Join the Urban League of Louisiana’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation for this special series to learn the foundations for setting up QuickBooks online, managing everyday transactions and financial reports, and the key concepts and tasks that you must know for ongoing maintenance. At the close of the series, participants attending all 3 sessions will receive 6 hours of customized, one-on-one QuickBooks Online training and maintenance support from a Financial Advisor. During this session, participants will be guided through a deeper understanding of the reporting process in QuickBooks Online and how to set up your Chart of Accounts for optimal clarity into your business financials. Participants will learn how to run the three primary financial reports (income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows), how to read these reports, how to reconcile accounts, and how to create custom fields to track income/expenses. Attendees will also learn how to run other reports that are specific to your business […]