The City of Bradford has announced a Small Business Emergency Loan program to help area businesses impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

“These are very difficult times for our small businesses,” said Anita Dolan, community/economic development manager. “Though resources have been made available at the national and state level, many rural areas, such as our area, have struggled to access those resources.”

The purpose of the program is to immediately support for-profit businesses that are either closed, or have had to limit their operations due to the pandemic. The loan funds can be used for critical working capital to help sustain working operations such as rent, utilities and payroll. The loans, up to $10,000, are available at a 1% interest rate. Payments are deferred for the first 90 days of the loan.

“The city’s Office of Economic and Community Development has worked closely with so many businesses during this time, and we have been communicating resources that are available to them,” Dolan added. “We hope that the loan program will be helpful to them, especially as we move toward starting to re-open in this area. Now, more than ever, it is important to support our locally owned businesses.”

Interested businesses should contact Dolan at the Office of Economic and Community Development. Resources, guidelines and the application are also available on the OECD website at www.bradfordpa.org