Business Resources, Courses and Updates

Winneshiek County Development & Tourism is here to help support our communities and businesses. Below are a few business resources that are available to you and your employees.  As time moves forward, we will continue to update this page with more information. I have also included additional programs and grant opportunities for certain areas of our workforce. I encourage you to share this information with others as you see fit. 

Stay safe and healthy,
Stephanie Fromm
Executive Director

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Small Business Assistance Program Directory

Use the search filter below to find programs, courses, loans, and grants that may fit your needs.

59 Matching Results

Hello Alice Grant

Updated: November 3, 2020

Hello Alice is offering $10,000 emergency COVID-19 grants under their Business for All grant contest. To apply, you need to fill to an application for their main contest, and then they will direct you to the COVID-19 grant request. If you don’t receive a COVID-19 grant, you would be in the running for their main grant contest, which has a grand prize of $50,000. To be eligible, you must be a legal resident of the U.S. over 18 years of age, your business must be a legal for-profit business based in the U.S., and the applicant must be the business owner who is the founder and/or leading executive. Preference is given to business owners who are women, people of color, LGBTQ+, military-connected, and entrepreneurs with disabilities. 

Links: Application Link


Kiva Loan

Updated: November 3, 2020

Kiva crowdfunds loans for borrowers who are either financially excluded or creating social impact in their communities. Kiva borrowers work in many industries. They may be farmers, artisans, students, shopkeepers, […]

Links: How a Kiva Loan Works | Examples of Kiva Loans in the United States


Beauty Changes Lives Grant

Updated: November 3, 2020

Beauty Changes Lives is offering a one-time $1,000 Nail Professional Relief Grant to nail professionals who cannot maintain their regular income due to mandated COVID-19 closures. To qualify, applicants must be a licensed nail professional who has been employed for 12 months on or before March 16, 2020, lives in the U.S., and currently is not earning an income. Applications due 6/30/2020.

Deadline: June 30, 2020
Links: Application Link


Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)

Updated: November 3, 2020

Low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to agricultural businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
At this time, only agricultural business applications will be accepted due to limitations in funding availability and the unprecedented submission of applications already received.

Links: Information


Iowa State Bar Association COVID-19 Legal Information Hotline

Updated: November 3, 2020

Iowa Legal Aid, the Iowa State Bar Association and Polk County Volunteer Lawyers Project have created a hotline to help Iowans with legal issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The […]

Links: How the hotline works


Hospitality Worker Grant

Updated: November 3, 2020

offering $500 relief grants for hospitality workers who lost their jobs or had their hours cut in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Anyone in the hospitality industry, dishwasher, bartender, server, busser, chef, cook, sommelier, manager, host, concierge, cleaning staff, or bar-back may apply for funds. Applications are open Monday 9am-Friday 5pm PST. 

Links: Application


Salesforce Care Small Business Grants

Updated: November 3, 2020

To be eligible to apply, companies must:
Be a for-profit company
Have between 2 to 50 employees
Have been in business for 2 full years as of March 2020
Have an annual revenue between $250k and $2M
Have experienced challenges from COVID-19

Deadline: May 4, 2020
Links: Application


Emergency Mini-Grants for Livestock and Poultry Farmers

Updated: November 3, 2020

Emergency Mini-Grants for Livestock and Poultry Farmers

Links: Information


Iowa Arts and Culture Emergency Relief Grants

Updated: November 3, 2020

During the current funding round, the Iowa Arts & Culture Emergency Relief Fund grants will be made available to support Iowans in two categories:

– Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations located in Iowa or a border community
– Arts or cultural department or division of a municipal government that is also incorporated in Iowa under the Iowa Nonprofit Corporation Act

Deadline: May 26, 2020
Links: Information/Application


Iowa Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act (ESG-CV)

Updated: November 3, 2020

The Iowa Finance Authority is requesting applications for the Iowa Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, for supplemental funding recently made available through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to respond to, prepare for, or prevent the spread of COVID-19. Approximately $9 million in ESG-CV funds are available.

Deadline: June 8, 2020
Links: Application


Red Backpack Fund

Updated: November 3, 2020

To be eligible, a business must (1) be at least 51% majority women-owned, (2) have withheld payroll taxes for a least one employee in addition to the owner, (3) have fewer than 50 employees, (4) have annual revenues that did not exceed $5Million in any of the past three years, (5) be registered in the U.S. as a legal entity with a valid EIN number, and (6) be owned by someone over 18 years of age.

Deadline: June 8, 2020
Links: Application


PEN America Writers’ Emergency Fund

Updated: November 3, 2020

Grants of $500 to $1,000 based on applications that demonstrate an inability to meet an acute financial need, especially one resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. To be […]

Links: Information | Application


Musicians Foundation Fund

Updated: November 3, 2020

The Musicians Foundation is offering one-time $200 grants through its CV19 Emergency Aid Grant Program to professional performers, educators, and composers. To be eligible, you must (1) be a professional musician with five or more years of experience performing, teaching, or composing, (2) earn a majority of your income from performing, teaching, or composing, (3) file taxes as a musician, and (4) have proper documentation of both your career and your work cancellations. This grant opportunity reopened May 5, 2020 and will close once they receive 100 new applications. 

Deadline: May 9, 2020
Links: Application Link


JBF Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund

Updated: November 3, 2020

Provides critical financial assistance to small, independent restaurants that, due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) national disaster, have an immediate need for funds to pay set operating expenses and keep from […]

Links: Information & Application


PEN America Grant

Updated: November 3, 2020

PEN America is offering grants of $500 to $1,000 through its Writers’ Emergency Fund to U.S.-based professional writers who demonstrate an inability to meet a financial need due to COVID-19 impacts. The funds are intended to assist authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. 

Links: Application Link


Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation

Updated: November 3, 2020

Operating grants of up to $10,000 to Iowa nonprofit organizations focused on providing health and wellness services during this crisis, or addressing food insecurity needs.

Links: Grant Info


Restaurant Employee Relief Fund

Updated: November 3, 2020

Grants to restaurant industry employees who have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 financially, whether through a decrease in wages or loss of employment that results in a lack of resources […]

Links: Application Information


New Music Solidarity Fund

Updated: November 3, 2020

Designed to help new/creative/improvised music freelancers whose livelihood has been threatened as a result of performances which have been canceled during the COVID-19 crisis. $500 emergency assistance grants will be […]

Links: Application | Share your Needs in a Survey


Small Business Help Line

Our local Small Business Development Counselors are readily available to assist local businesses. Whether it’s local/state/federal applications, business/marketing plans or simply exploring different opportunities to reach your customers, our team is available by calling 563-588-3350 between 8:30am-4:30pm, Monday – Friday. This is a free service to all businesses.

Decorah and Winneshiek County Mutual Aid Network

The Network is still up and running! If you need help, advice or have questions, please visit the website or reach out to one of our team members at mutualaid@decorahnow.com.

Winneshiek County Development and Tourism, in partnership with DecorahNow and MANY other great partner organizations, has launched a mutual aid network to help community members, businesses, and organizations from throughout Winneshiek County and beyond, share information and resources, read more about what is happening locally, let others know they are available to help, and/or to ask for help, suggest ideas, and share positive stories. Please visit the website or follow the page on social media for the most up to date information.

Other Links and Information

Office of the Governor of Iowa
Latest News and Information

Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division
Updated Rules and Regulations for Bars & Restaurants

Iowa Utilities Board
Order Extending Winter Moratorium for Electric and Natural Gas Customers

Iowa Workforce Development
Iowa Workforce Development Response to COVID-19
Application – Unemployment Insurance Benefits.

Other Business Resource Sites

CIRAS at Iowa State University
How to deal with COVID-19

IASourceLink
Iowa Business Information on COVID-19

Iowa Small Business Development Center
How to Prepare Your Small Business for Coronavirus

Main Street America Resource Center
Guidance for Your Community

RestoreYourEconomy.com
COVID-19 Resources for Economic Development Planning & Recovery

Tourism Resources
Information for Iowa Tourism Partners

​U.S. Chamber of Commerce
COVID-19 Preparedness Checklist

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers [PDF]