Information & Resources Regarding COVID-19 in the Berkshires

Berkshire Resources

• Berkshire Health Systems Coronavirus Information Kiosk – This resource collects information from Berkshire Health Systems related to COVID-19.
• Emergency Food Access Map – This map displays locations and information about emergency food access sites throughout the Berkshires.
• Town of Great Barrington Mental Health and Wellness Kit – This evolving document from the Town of Great Barrington collects a variety of local, state, and national mental health and wellness resources.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Resources

• Governor Baker’s Emergency Order (3/15/20) – Limit gatherings to 25 individuals (subsequently reduced to 10), prohibit on-premises consumption of food/drink at bars/restaurants, beginning March 17.
  • As of May 18, 2020, the Department of Public Health has issued a Safer-At-Home Advisory. People over 65 and those with underlying health conditions are advised to stay home except for essential errands. All residents are advised to leave home only for healthcare, worship, permitted work, shopping, and outdoor activities. Visit the link above for additional information and restrictions.
  • This order has subsequently been amended by the introduction of Reopening Massachusetts, the Commonwealth’s plan for phased reopening of the economy. As of 6/22/20, Massachusetts is in Phase 2 Step 2 of reopening, which allows indoor and outdoor dining in restaurants and in bars that also have seated food service. Bars that do not serve food are not permitted to reopen until Phase 4, which will occur at a later date depending on ongoing progress against key public health metrics.
• Governor Baker’s May 1 Order requiring the wearing of masks or face coverings in public places where six feet of distance between people cannot be achieved. Read the order for additional directives. Directions are available from the Centers for Disease Control for construction of a cloth mask or face covering (including sewn and no-sew options).
• Self-Quarantine Instructions for Travelers to Massachusetts – All travelers to Massachusetts – including Massachusetts residents returning home – are instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days, except (as of July 1) travelers from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and New Jersey arriving in Massachusetts do not need to self-quarantine for 14 days.
• Mass.gov COVID-19 Updates and Information page (updated daily).
• MassGovernor on YouTube – this channel carries live and recorded streams of Governor Baker’s COVID-19 response press updates.
• FrontlineMA.org, an initiative of the Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts, aggregates helpful information and links for frontline workers, including free or discounted meals, PPE access and guidance, self-care resources, and more.
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Federal and International Resources

• CDC Information
• CDC Business Pandemic Checklist 
• World Health Organization information
• State Department Travel Advisories
• US Attorney and Homeland Security Investigations “Think Before You Click” poster

• Text Alerts – Text COVIDMA to 888-777 to receive COVID-19 text message alerts straight to your phone and stay up to date with the latest news + updates from the Commonwealth. Para recibir alertas de mensajes de texto de la Mancomunidad de Massachusetts, envíe un mensaje de texto con COVIDMAESP al 888-777.
• MEMA’s Emergency Operations Center’s Private Sector Hotline: 508-820-2094  (M–F, 8AM – 4PM)
• Berkshire Medical Center toll-free hotline for questions/concerns: 855-BMC-LINK – or – 855-262-5465  (7 days/week, 7AM – 7PM)
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health: 617-983-6800  (24-hour emergency hotline)

Note: As of July 11, the EIDL Emergency Advance program has allocated the funding appropriated by Congress, and is no longer being issued. 

Note: As of July 6, the Paycheck Protection Program resumed accepting applications under the authority of the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. The new deadline to apply for a PPP loan is August 8, 2020.

Note: As of June 15, the SBA began once again accepting new EIDL and EIDL Advance applications from qualified small businesses. Between 5/5/20 and 6/15/20, new applications were open only to agricultural businesses.

• SBA – Coronavirus: Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources – Learn about the suite of programs and tools available to small businesses from the Small Business Administration.
• SBA Disaster Assistance in Response to the Coronavirus – Learn about specific funding resources available through the Small Business Administration.
• The Center for Women & Enterprise is hosting an Explore Small Business Administration Resources webinar on Thursday, July 30, at 11:00AM.
• Massachusetts Small Business Development Center is offering a webinar on Tax Provisions, Cares Act – Beyond the PPP on Thursday, August 13, at 11:00AM.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

NOTE: On June 5, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act became law. Among other provisions to make forgiveness criteria easier to meet, this legislation reduces to 60% the percentage of PPP money that must be spent on payroll (previously 75%), allows borrowers 24 weeks to spend the funding (previously 8 weeks), and extends the repayment period to five years (previously two). Read about all of the provisions here. 

NOTE: As of July 6, the Paycheck Protection Program resumed accepting applications under the authority of the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. The new deadline to apply for a PPP Loan is August 8, 2020.  

• The Paycheck Protection Program helps businesses keep their workforce employed during the COVID-19 outbreak by providing a low-interest loan that can be completely forgiven.
• Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application If you received a PPP loan and hope to have it forgiven, this is the form you should utilize. The form contains the instructions you will need to complete your application.
• Paycheck Protection Program Frequently Asked Questions from the Small Business Administration.
• Small Business Paycheck Protection Act Tools from the Department of the Treasury.
• Find eligible lenders for PPP
• PPP Interim Final Rule provides an overview of the program and guidance about eligibility, calculating borrowing amounts, loan forgiveness, and a variety of other considerations.
• PPP Interim Final Rule regarding self-employed individuals, which provides guidance for how to determine eligibility, calculate and document borrowing amount, how loans can be used, and how they can be forgiven.
• PPP Interim Final Rule, supplementing the previous rules from the Department of the Treasury, in order to help PPP borrowers prepare and submit loan forgiveness applications, help PPP lenders who will be making loan forgiveness decisions, inform borrowers and lenders of the SBA’s process for reviewing PPP loan applications, and requesting public comment.
• Paycheck Protection Program Information for Small Businesses from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
• National Development Council Webinar – Helping Entrepreneurs Complete Strong PPP Applications: An Overview of the PPP Application Requirements. (recording)
• PPP For Lenders: Application Form, Information Sheet
• The Small Business Administration is hosting a Paycheck Protection Program Town Hall on Forgiveness webinar on Monday, July 27, at 7:00PM.

SBA Express Bridge Loan Pilot Program 

• Information about the SBA Express Bridge Loan
• SBA Express Bridge Loan Pilot Program Guide

Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)

Note: As of July 11, the EIDL Emergency Advance program has allocated the funding appropriated by Congress, and is no longer being issued. 

• Information about the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and EIDL Emergency Advance
• SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Application – Updated for a faster and easier application experience.

SBA Debt Relief

• Learn more about relief the Small Business Administration is offering for businesses with SBA loans.

• This updated guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance details information about implementation of unemployment programs in the CARES Act, including $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for self-employed, independent, and gig economy workers, and 13 weeks of additional unemployment assistance provided by the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.
• Applying for Unemployment Benefits / Solicitud de Beneficios de Desempleo
• Unemployment Insurance Benefits and Returning to Work: Guide for Workers – This FAQ covers a variety of questions about returning to work for those who are presently receiving unemployment compensation.
• Massachusetts Health Connector
• MA Department of Unemployment Assistance Virtual Town Hall – Get a step-by-step look at how to make an unemployment claim and ask your questions. You can use this link to register for one of the following town halls:
  • None scheduled at this time.

Guidance for Employers

• Employer Unemployment FAQ: COVID-19
• Unemployment Insurance Benefits and Returning to Work: Guide for Employers
• Massachusetts WorkShare Program for Employers

Massachusetts Resources

• As of May 18th, 2020, the Commonwealth has unveiled Reopening Massachusetts, its four-phase plan to reopen the economy. Please see our Reopening Guidance section for updated, detailed information about the reopening process.
• COVID-19 Essential Services FAQ – An evolving resource from the MA Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.
• EANE Q&A Regarding Essential and Non-Essential Businesses
• Manufacturing Emergency Response Team (M-ERT) – If your business is a manufacturer that believes it can pivot production to needed materials such as personal protective equipment (PPE), use this link to contact the M-ERT.
• AIM Covid 19 Voluntary Accrued Vacation Time & Essential Employee Model Documents
• Small Business Assistance – Info from Mass.gov

Federal and International Resources

• Small Business Owners’s Guide to the CARES Act – Learn about the CARES Act and the programs and initiatives that will soon be available to small businesses through the SBA.
• Department of Labor – Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employer Paid Leave Requirements. This page from the DOL explains the new requirements around employer paid leave in the FFCRA. For additional information, check out the Department of Labor’s FFCRA Questions and Answers page.
• OSHA COVID-19 Standards for Workplaces
• Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers from CDC
• COVID-19 Federal Resource Guide
• National Endowment for the Arts – Resources to Help Ensure Accessibility of Your Virtual Events for People with Disabilities

• Initial Analysis of the CARES Act – National Council of Nonprofits
• Coronavirus Emergency Loans Small Business Guide & Checklist
• Mass Cultural Council
• Covid-19 Relief Effort for Cultural Organizations – Learn about existing and upcoming resources for Cultural Investment Portfolio organizations as well as all cultural nonprofits.
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts – COVID-19 Resources Available to Immigrants and Refugees 

Municipalities:

• Adams
• Alford
• Becket
• Cheshire
• Clarksburg
• Dalton
• Egremont
• Florida
• Great Barrington
• Hancock
• Hinsdale
• Lanesborough
• Lee
• Lenox
• Monterey
• Mount Washington
• New Ashford
• New Marlborough
• North Adams
• Otis
• Peru
• Pittsfield
• Richmond
• Sandisfield
• Sheffield
• Stockbridge
• Tyringham
• Washington
• West Stockbridge
• Williamstown

Chambers of Commerce:

• Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.
• Lee Chamber of Commerce
• #LenoxLove Connection Hub
• North Adams Chamber of Commerce
• Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce
• Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce
• Williamstown Chamber of Commerce

• WesternMass List of Upcoming Webinars for Businesses – A Google doc of webinars
• A briefing on the CARES Act –  Ben Lamb, 1Berkshire’s Director of Economic Development, and Deborah Gallant, Executive Director of EforAll Berkshire County, interpret the recently-passed CARES Act. (recording)
• AIM Webinar – AIM Experts Answer Employer Question on COVID-19, focusing on topics like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, paid employee leave, essential status, and more. (recording)

Reopening Massachusetts – The Baker-Polito Administration’s comprehensive plan to safely reopen the Massachusetts economy, get people back to work, and ease social restrictions while minimizing the health impacts of COVID-19.

• Reopening Massachusetts – the official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ reopening plan.
• Reopening Massachusetts Report – View and download the Commonwealth’s report on reopening the economy.
• Reopening Massachusetts – Overview of the Four-Phase Approach – Visit this link for additional information about the four phases of reopening the Massachusetts economy.
• Reopening: When Can My Business Open? – Visit this link to learn more from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts about the different phases of reopening, and which types of businesses can reopen during each phase. This resource will be updated from time to time as the situation allows.
• Reopening: General Business Guidance Documents and Translations – Visit this link to access Commonwealth resources required for self-certification as part of businesses reopening. Businesses must comply with these mandatory safety standards, and you can find direct links to the individual items below, translated into Arabic, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
  • COVID-19 Control Plan Template
  • Compliance Attestation Poster
  • Employer Reopening Poster
  • Worker Reopening Poster
• Purchasing Hygienic or Protective Supplies for the Workplace – This guide from the Commonwealth details supplies your business and employees need to have and contains guidance for masks and face coverings, and a spreadsheet of vendors of hygienic and protective supplies.
• Submit Questions and Comments About Reopening Massachusetts – Use this form to ask question or provide feedback to the Commonwealth regarding the Reopening Massachusetts effort.
• Guidance for industries on the reopening plan – Download this PDF for additional information on businesses and activities summarized in the Reopening Massachusetts report.
• Child and Youth Serving Programs Reopen Approach
  • Minimum Requirements for Health and Safety
  • Early Education and Care Reopen Approach Frequently Asked Questions
• Outdoor Recreational Activities: Guidance and directives related to the reopening of outdoor recreational activities and businesses in the Commonwealth.
• Reopening Health and Human Services in Massachusetts: Guidelines for hospitals and health care providers related to some non-emergency procedures or deferred care that may now need attention.

Federal Guidance

• Centers for Disease Control Workplace Decision Tool – This online resource helps employers make reopening decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• US Food and Drug Administration – Best Practices for Re-opening Retail Food Establishments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Additional Resources

• MA Small Biz Reopening Guide – This online resource from the Mass Growth Capital Corp. and Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corps helps businesses navigate available guidance and tools that will help them reopen safely and successfully.

Phase II, Step Two – Effective Monday, June 22

On Friday, June 19, Governor Baker announced that Phase II, Step Two would begin on Monday, June 22. Below is a summary of businesses permitted to reopen and operational modifications already-open businesses will be permitted to make.

• Restaurants
  • Indoor table service permitted as of June 22. See the Safety Standards and Checklist for Restaurants for implementation guidance.
• Close Contact Personal Services
  • In addition to barber shops and hair salons (which were permitted to reopen in Phase 2, Step 1), close contact personal services are now permitted to reopen in accordance with state guidance. Close contact personal services are defined as any personal service delivered through close physical contact with the customer, including but not limited to the following: hair removal services; massage and body treatments; nail care services; skin care services; other hair services; makeup salons and makeup application services; personal trainers (by appointment only, with only one customer allowed in the facility at a time); and tanning salons.  See the Workplace Safety Standards guidance and summary checklist for additional information about the standards with which Close Contact Personal services must comply in order to reopen.
• Offices
  • May resume occupancy of up to 50% (previously 25% as of June 8), but employers are still encouraged to allow employees to work from home. See Office Space Safety Standards.
• Retail
  • Dressing rooms are permitted to reopen by appointment. See Retail Safety Standards.

Phase 2, Step 1 – Restaurants, Lodging, and Retail

• Restaurants
  • Restaurants MA Safety Standards: These workplace safety standards for restaurants are posted in advance of the Governor’s initiation of Phase 2 to allow restaurants time to prepare to operate in compliance with these mandatory health and safety standards.
  • Restaurants MA COVID-19 Checklist
• Lodging
  • Operators of Lodgings MA Safety Standards: These workplace safety standards for lodging are posted in advance to the Governor’s initiation of Phase 2 to allow operators of lodging time to prepare for reopening in compliance with these mandatory standards.
  • Operators of Lodgings MA COVID-19 Checklist
• Retail Businesses
  • Retail Businesses Safety Standards: These workplace safety standards for retail businesses are posted in advance of the Governor’s initiation of Phase 2 to allow businesses time to prepare to operate in compliance with these mandatory health and safety standards.
  • Retail Businesses MA COVID-19 Checklist

Phase III, Step One – Began Monday, July 6 (July 13 in the City of Boston)

New travel order as of August 1: All visitors and returning residents entering Massachusetts, who do not meet an exemption, must follow new travel orders including: completing a travel form, producing a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to arrival, or quarantining for 14 days. Failure to comply may result in a $500 fine per day. Learn more here. 

On Thursday, July 2, Governor Baker announced that Phase III, Step One would begin on Monday, July 6. Below are links to sector-specific guidance.

• Movie Theaters and Outdoor Performance Venues
  • Outdoor theater and performance venues and indoor movie theaters may reopen. Large capacity event venues must continue to remain closed until Phase IV. This includes venues used for group or spectator sports, entertainment, business, and cultural events, including stadiums, arenas, and ballparks as well as exhibition and convention halls.
  • Theaters and Performance Venues Safety Standards Summary
  • Theaters and Performance Venues MA COVID-19 Checklist
• Museums and Cultural Facilities and Guided Tours
  • Facilities addressed under the term “museum” include museums, aquariums, and indoor and outdoor historic spaces and sites, and guided tours.
  • Museums and Cultural Facilities and Guided Tours Workplace Safety Standards Summary
  • Museums and Cultural Facilities and Guided Tours MA COVID-19 Checklist
• Fitness Centers and Health Clubs
  • Fitness Centers and Health Clubs are defined as a fitness facility that provides access to and/or instruction of personal fitness training, including but not limited to: weight and resistance training, cross training, yoga, martial arts, spin classes, boot camp training.
  • Fitness Centers and Health Clubs Workplace Safety Standards Summary
  • Fitness Centers and Health Clubs MA COVID-19 Checklist
• Certain Indoor Recreational Activities
  • Indoor recreational activities permitted in Phase III Step One include: batting cages, driving ranges, bowling alleys, go karts, and rock-climbing facilities.
  • Other indoor recreational businesses with greater potential for contact must stay closed until authorized to open under a subsequent order. These include roller skating rinks, trampolines, obstacle courses, and laser tag. Arcades and indoor and outdoor “ball pits” must continue to remain closed until Phase 4.
  • Indoor Recreation Workplace Safety Standards Summary
  • Indoor Recreation MA COVID-19 Checklist
• Professional Sports Teams
  • Under the authority of league-wide rules, may hold games without spectators.

Phase III also offers revisions to the governor’s Gatherings Order:

• Indoor gatherings are limited to eight people per 1,000 square feet, but should not exceed 25 people in a single enclosed, indoor space.
• Outdoor gatherings in enclosed spaces are limited to 25 percent of the facility’s maximum permitted occupancy, with a maximum of 100 people in a single enclosed outdoor space. This includes community events, civic events, sporting events, concerts, conventions, and more. This does no apply to outdoor, unenclosed gatherings if proper social distancing measures are possible.
• This revised order does not supersede previously-issued sector guidance, and is effective beginning Monday, July 6 (Monday, July 13 in the City of Boston).

Phase III also saw the revision of Public Health Guidance:

• New guidance has been issued allowing additional health care services and visitation guidelines with the onset of Phase III. Read the updated public health guidance here.

• Upcoming Webinars:
  • Massachusetts Small Business Development Center – Reopening Business During COVID-19: What Employers Need to Know Wed 8/5 2:00PM.
  • MassMEP – Navigating the Pandemic Training. If you could have a safety consultant walk you through the development of your pandemic control plan and answer your specific questions, would you? If you said yes, you need to listen to this webinar that explains two funding source options for your company to get a significant discount or in one case for free. Tue 8/25 11:00AM.
  • MassMEP – Navigating the Pandemic Training. If you could have a safety consultant walk you through the development of your pandemic control plan and answer your specific questions, would you? If you said yes, you need to listen to this webinar that explains two funding source options for your company to get a significant discount or in one case for free. Thu 8/25 11:00AM.
  • MassMEP – Navigating the Pandemic Training. If you could have a safety consultant walk you through the development of your pandemic control plan and answer your specific questions, would you? If you said yes, you need to listen to this webinar that explains two funding source options for your company to get a significant discount or in one case for free. Tue 9/1 11:00AM.
  • MassMEP – Navigating the Pandemic Training. If you could have a safety consultant walk you through the development of your pandemic control plan and answer your specific questions, would you? If you said yes, you need to listen to this webinar that explains two funding source options for your company to get a significant discount or in one case for free. Tue 9/3 11:00AM.

• Recorded Webinars:
  • MassMEP – The ABCs of Returning Safely to Work – Navigating the Alphabet Soup of Regulations As We Get Back To Work (recording). Tune in to learn about areas of your business where you will need to make changes and considerations for new rules, new equipment, new processes and adapt the factors you consider in decision making.
  • MassMEP – The ABCs of Returning Safely to Work – Who Will Be Your COVID-19 Safety & Health Coordinator? (recording) Tune in to learn about what you need to consider in establishing a staff member or team to manage COVID-19 best practices in your workplace.
  • MassMEP – The ABCs of Returning Safely to Work – New Rules. New Procedures. Which Ones Should I Apply To My Business? (recording) Tune in to learn about new practices and procedures you can apply to improve safety in your business, including signage and communications, updating sick policies, PPE implementation, and more.
  • MassMEP – The ABCs of Returning Safely to Work – Two OSHA Documents You Already Have to Help with COVID-19 Requirements (recording). Tune in to learn about two key OSHA documents you will need to update, as well as steps your organization should take to prepare for emergencies in the workplace.
  • MassMEP – The ABCs of Returning Safely to Work – I Didn’t Know I Needed To Do All That To Disinfect and Clean Safely! (recording).Tune in to learn the answers to some common questions about what you can to do to keep your workplace clean and disinfected.
  • The Brookings Institution – Reopening Schools in the Fall Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall – Reopening the Berkshire Economy This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Senator Adam Hinds, Ben Sosne (Executive Director, Berkshire Innovation Center), and Jennifer Trainer Thompson (Executive Director, Hancock Shaker Village). The panel discussed the numbers that matter, budgetary impacts, and tactics and approaches needed to ensure a safe and sustainable reopening of the economic cornerstones of the region.
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall – Reopening the Economy – Phase 3 This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall features Senator Adam Hinds, John Lewis (Chief Executive Storyteller, SP3AK EASY Studio), Eric Kerns (Partner, TOURISTS), Jennifer Trainer Thompson (President and CEO, Hancock Shaker Village) discussing the steps, logistics, and potential impacts of Phase 3 reopening here in the Berkshires.

• Small Business Strong – This public-private partnership was established to help women- and minority-owned small businesses in Massachusetts navigate the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers an online portal with curated resources, access to generalized business advisors, and referrals to functional specialists who can assist with specific support and deliverables.
• Grow with Google – Tips for working, managing, teaching, and learning remotely.
• Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) Small Business Resource Center features links to national resources for small businesses, and to Massachusetts resources as well.
• Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires – COVID-19 Resources for Berkshire Nonprofits
• Resource Guide – Running A Food Business in the Face of COVID-19 (CommonWealth Kitchen)
• AIM COVID-19 Resource Page for Employers
• List of Arts Resources During the COVID-19 Outbreak from Creative Capital
• Capacity Interactive Podcast: How Arts Organizations Can Survive a Pandemic
• Seated’s Restaurant Support Hotline connects restaurants to legal experts to help get your questions answered – for free.

Grants and Relief Funds

• Berkshire County Small Business Recovery Fund – Grants up to $3,000 available on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis to small for-profit businesses that meet the following criteria: had 10 or fewer full-time (or FTE) employees on or prior to March 23, 2020;  physically located in Berkshire County, Massachusetts; operated for at least one year prior to applying; deemed ineligible or turned down due to a lack of available funding by Small Business Administration COVID-19 funding programs including the Paycheck Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance program.
• WBUR – Grants and Resources for Artists and Nonprofits
• Facebook Small Business Grants
• Business For All is offering $10,000 emergency grants.
• Save Small Business Fund – Beginning April 20, qualifying small businesses can apply for $5,000 grants from the Save Small Business Fund, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. No longer accepting applications at this time.
• LISC Small Business Recovery Grant Program for Massachusetts – No longer accepting applications at this time. Offering grants up to $10,000 to small businesses in Massachusetts.
• LISC Small Business Relief Grants – Grants of $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, and $20,000 for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to keep them functioning and remaining vital facets of their local economies. Priority will be given to entrepreneurs of color, women- and veteran-owned businesses and other enterprises in historically under-served places. The next round of applications is opens July 27.

Webinars

• Upcoming Webinars
  • Mass. Small Business Development Center – Resources of Assistance to Start and Grow Your Business Tue 8/4 10:00AM.
  • Mass. Small Business Development Center – Reopening Business During COVID-19: What Employers Need to Know Wed 8/5 2:00PM.
  • Mass. Small Business Development Center – Tax Provisions, Cares Act – Beyond the PPP 8/13 11:00AM.
  • MassMEP – Navigating the Pandemic Training. If you could have a safety consultant walk you through the development of your pandemic control plan and answer your specific questions, would you? If you said yes, you need to listen to this webinar that explains two funding source options for your company to get a significant discount or in one case for free. Tue 8/25 11:00AM.
  • MassMEP – Navigating the Pandemic Training. If you could have a safety consultant walk you through the development of your pandemic control plan and answer your specific questions, would you? If you said yes, you need to listen to this webinar that explains two funding source options for your company to get a significant discount or in one case for free. Thu 8/25 11:00AM.
  • Mass. Small Business Development Center – Increasing Efficiencies through Effective Business Systems. Thu 8/27 11:00AM. 
  • MassMEP – Navigating the Pandemic Training. If you could have a safety consultant walk you through the development of your pandemic control plan and answer your specific questions, would you? If you said yes, you need to listen to this webinar that explains two funding source options for your company to get a significant discount or in one case for free. Tue 9/1 11:00AM.
  • MassMEP – Navigating the Pandemic Training. If you could have a safety consultant walk you through the development of your pandemic control plan and answer your specific questions, would you? If you said yes, you need to listen to this webinar that explains two funding source options for your company to get a significant discount or in one case for free. Tue 9/3 11:00AM.

• 1Berkshire Virtual Town Halls
  •  1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall: The Visitor Economy This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Adam Davis (Managing Director, Shakespeare & Co.), Babara Vacarr (CEO, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health), Joe Thompson (Director, MASS MoCA) and Sarah Eustis (CEO, Main Street Hospitality). Panelists discussed the current state of affairs, the outlook, and the actionable opportunities their organizations are taking in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic event. (recorded 4/17/10)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall : Banking During Covid-19 This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Bob Fraser (President and CEO, MountainOne), Jodi Rathbun-Briggs (Senior Vice President & Chief Lending Officer, Greylock Federal Credit Union), Gary Moynihan (Managing Director, Adelson & Company PC), Dennis Egan, Partner, Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook). Panelists discussed available resources and steps that businesses should be taking to successfully navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. (recorded 5/1/20)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall: Food and Agriculture in the Era of COVID-19 This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Orion Howard (Co-founder and Owner, Bright Ideas Brewing), Nick Martinelli (Founder and Owner of Marty’s Local), Cynthia Pansing (Executive Director, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures), and Jessica Vecchia (Co-Director, Roots Rising). Panelist discussed the local food system is operating during COVID-19, how they have pivoted to meet the needs of the moment, and what the future of food might look like in a post-COVID economy. (recorded 5/8/20)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall: Reopening the Berkshire Economy This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Senator Adam Hinds, Ben Sosne (Executive Director, Berkshire Innovation Center), and Jennifer Trainer Thompson (Executive Director, Hancock Shaker Village). The panel discussed the numbers that matter, budgetary impacts, and tactics and approaches needed to ensure a safe and sustainable reopening of the economic cornerstones of the region. (recorded 5/15/20)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall: Higher Education During COVID-19 This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Dr. Jamie Birge (President, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts), Dr. Ellen Kennedy (President, Berkshire Community College), Dr. Maud Mandel (President of Williams College), and Dr. John Weinstein (Provost-Elect, Bard College at Simon’s Rock). The panel discussed the decisions their institutions are making, the challenges they are facing, and the landscape they face going forward. (recorded 5/22/20)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall: Summer in the Berkshires – Happening! But How? This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Brian Cruey (Director of Southern Berkshires, The Trustees of Reservations), Laurie Norton Moffat (Director & CEO, Norman Rockwell Museum), Mindi Morin (Managing Director, Canyon Ranch Lenox), and Lindsey Schmid (Vice President of Tourism and Marketing, 1Berkshire). (recorded 5/29/20)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall: The Deeper Strains on Community This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Janis Broderick (Executive Director of the Elizabeth Freeman Center), Dr. Barbara Malkas (Superintendent of North Adams Public Schools), Kelly Marion (CEO of the Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center), and Candace Winkler (President and CEO of Berkshire United Way). The panel discussed impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on organizations the address food insecurity, early childhood care, domestic violence, and K-12 education, and on the populations they serve. (recorded 6/5/20)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall: New Updates to Paid Family Medical Leave This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured William Alpine (Director, Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave), Kevin Kinne (Partner, Cohen Kinne, Valicenti and Cook), and Michele Morin (Vice President of Human Resources and Workforce Development, Hillcrest Educational Centers). The panel discussed changes to the Paid Family Medical Leave Act and how it could impact businesses in the Berkshires as the Act goes into effect. (recorded 6/19/20)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall: Census 2020 This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured State Representative Paul Mark (Second Berkshire District), Michelle Lopez (Executive Director, Berkshire Immigrant Center), Mark Maloy (GIS, Data, and IT Manager, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission), Erica Girgenti (Director, Adams Council on Aging), and Mark Sebastino (Partnership Specialist, U.S. Census Bureau). The panel discussed why the 2020 Census is conducted, why counting every person is critical for the Berkshires, and how viewers can get involved in ensuring a complete count. (recorded 7/1/20)
  • 1Berkshire Virtual Town Hall – Reopening the Economy – Phase 3 This panel conversation and Q&A-style town hall featured Senator Adam Hinds, John Lewis (Chief Executive Storyteller, SP3AK EASY Studio), Eric Kerns (Partner, TOURISTS), Jennifer Trainer Thompson (President and CEO, Hancock Shaker Village) discussing the steps, logistics, and potential impacts of Phase 3 reopening here in the Berkshires. (recorded 7/10/20)

• Recorded Webinars 
  • Kindful – Turning Your Canceled Event into a Successful Virtual Fundraising Opportunity (recording)
  • AIM HR Solutions – Suddenly Remote: Distance Leadership (recording)
  • EANE – Furloughs, Layoffs, & Workshare – Oh My! (recording)
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – How to Adapt Your Messaging to the Sudden Change in the Marketplace (recording)
  • ICIC Webinar: Commercial Leases and Negotiating Rent During COVID-19 (recording)
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – Take the First Step: Creating a Great Name is Your Starting Point  (recording)
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – Overcoming A Setback: Come Back Stronger (recording)
  • EforAll Berkshire County – Resilience, Optimism & Leadership (recording)
  • EforAll Berkshire County – Sales and Marketing Right Now (recording)
  • EforAll Berkshire County, 1Berkshire, Berkshire Community College – How We’re Coping In The Berkshires Panel Discussion (recording)
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – How Businesses Can Create Their Crisis Communication Plan (recording)
  • TechSoup – Nonprofit Workforce Transition and Planning in Response to COVID-19 (recording)
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – How A Business Can Optimize Cash Flow During A Crisis (recording)
  • Entrepreneur – Understanding The Small Business Relief Package (recording)
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – How Entrepreneur & ESNP Host Jay Williams Envisions Tomorrow’s Normal for Business, Sports and Beyond (recording)
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – Managing People in a Distributed Workforce (recording)
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – Leading With Integrity During Times of Crisis (recording)
  • Initiative for a Competitive Inner City – Innovating Through Crisis: Strategies for Small Businesses to Survive and Thrive (recording)
  • AIM – Thirty on Thursday: Reimagining Your Business (recording)
  • Kindful – Nonprofit Fundraising Trends During COVID-19 (recording)
  • Restaurants Rise – The Power of Partnerships
  • Restaurants Rise – Three Ways to Meet New Customer Demands in Food Service
  • Restaurants Rise – How to Reach Guests the Right Way in a Changed World
  • Restaurants Rise – The Meat of the Matter: Revealing Value Beyond Price 
  • Restaurants Rise – Restaurant Strategies to Create Consumer Confidence for Restaurant Re-Opens
  • Restaurants Rise – How to Enable Touch-Free Guest Experiences in Restaurants
  • Restaurants Rise – Rethinking & Readjusting Human Capital Management for COVID-19
  • Restaurants Rise – With Caution and Care: Meeting Customers’ New Needs
  • TribalVision – Marketing in the Post-COVID Economy 

• The Massachusetts Broadband Institute and KCST have launched public hotspots in several Massachusetts towns still waiting on completion of broadband networks to provide free access to students, teachers, entrepreneurs, and others. Towns in the Berkshires with these hotspots, or with municipally-launched hotspots are: Becket, Egremont, Florida, Monterey, New Marlborough, Sandisfield, Savoy, Washington, and Windsor.
• The Support Network’s Virtual Support Group for Parents: Schedule & Referral Form
• Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) – Provides food supports to help families with children who were receiving free and reduced-price school meals pay for food. See additional information here and here.
• buoy Symptom Checker. Massachusetts residents can use this tool to get advice from an online health assistant safely at home, for free.
• 413cares.org is an innovative community portal providing online access for residents of Western Massachusetts to available resources like housing, healthcare, early education, and more. If you need help and aren’t sure where to start, type in your zip code and take a look.
• Berkshire Community Action Fuel Assistance & Other Help
• Elizabeth Freeman Center – free and confidential counseling, shelter, legal advocacy, safety planning, teen dating violence prevention education, a 24/7 hotline, and much more
• Massachusetts Health Connector
• Neighbor-to-Neighbor Grant from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
• Emergency Food Access Map
• The FCC’s Keep Americans Connected Pledge has seen over 800 telephone and broadband service providers agree to not terminate services or charge late fees, and make WiFi hotspots available to anyone who needs them.
• Mobile Worker Toolkit 
• MassTech Intern Partnership – Provides stipends to digital technology companies that are starting and scaling-up across MA to directly support internships for MA’s college and graduate students.
• Resources for Freelance Artists
• Assets For Artists Webinars for a Post-COVID World – Assets for Artists has redesigned its business and financial education programming to provide artists with new, crisis-focused, distance learning opportunities.
• Coronavirus Tips: Frequently Asked Questions and Advice – easy to read and full of useful info and tips.
• Webinars
  • Entrepreneur Crisis Management Series – Staying Calm and Being Productive While Working From Home (recorded)

• Emergency Childcare by 18 Degrees
• Girls Group – 18 Degrees Family Services for Western Massachusetts hosts a group for young women ages 13-18 to support and empower on another, incorporating positive communication skills, life skills, and health relationship skills with a focus on individual strengths and goals.
• Gift Card Shop – Support the Berkshires and Downtown Pittsfield by purchasing a gift card.
• Mass.gov – Online portal for PPE & volunteers to support COVID-19 response
• Massachusetts Disaster Volunteers – designed to connect unaffiliated volunteers to agencies in need.
• Ride for Roots Rising – Beginning June 20, participate in a socially-distant bike ride to raise money for community food access.
• Doorstep Deliverers – Request a volunteer delivery of an order at a local business. Currently serving housebound community members across Berkshire County and Columbia County, MA.
• How to Support Restaurants and Their Workers Right Now – Article from bon appetit
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Berkshire County’s Warm Line: (413) 445-1136 – – Call to talk to either a NAMI BC staff or a community trained volunteer having lived experience with mental health issues, trauma, and/or to assist individuals through a difficult time, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Clinical & Support Options’ Great Barrington Family Resource Center at 141 West Avenue in Great Barrington, offering multi-cultural parenting resources, support groups, early childhood services, information, and other education and referral programs for families whose children range in age from birth to 18, free and available to any child or family.

Grants and Relief Funds

• Artist Relief – Apply for a grant of $5,000. Available to practicing artists experiencing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19 who have lived and worked in the United States for the last two years.
• Tipped & Service Workers Support Fund
• Greg Hill Foundation and Samuel Adams Restaurant Strong Fund No longer accepting applications. 
• US Bartenders Guild Bartender Emergency Assistance Program No longer accepting applications. 
• National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Restaurant Employee Relief Fund Not currently accepting new applications. 

• 1Berkshire Homebound Fun & Cabin Fever Survival – Check out this regularly-updated webpage that collects fun and interesting links gathered by our staff to keep you and yours entertained while you practice social distancing.
• Virtual Berkshires – Digitally visit our dynamic region.
• Berkshire BINGO
• 1Berkshire Zoom Backgrounds
• Massachusetts Commencement 2020 – Tune in on  Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30pm as Governor Charlie Baker, Massachusetts athletes and celebrities, the Boston Pops, and more salute Massachusetts students graduating in 2020. You’ll be able to watch on your local WGBY channel, or on WGBY’s facebook page or website. Congratulations to the Class of 2020!
• Free Activities for Children During School Closings
• Berkshire Artists Coloring Book, Volume 1 (PDF)
• EANE tips for self care and combating stress
• Entrepreneur Crisis Management Webinar Series – How to Manage Your Mental Stress (recording).
• American Psychological Association – Coping in the Era of Coronavirus: A Webinar for Students (recording)