BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A group of companies and organizations as well as a state representative are joining Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome at a Thursday morning news conference.

These individuals are expected to talk about a small business recovery program.

The small business recovery program starts today and it is “a $1 million microgrant program for small businesses in East Baton Rouge Parish,” according to the mayor’s office.

The program is being called “Resilient Restart EBR.”

The mayor’s office says the program, “will support small businesses who are classified as low-to-moderate income individuals based on HUD guidelines, as well as, those who own and operate a business in a low-to-moderate income census tract in East Baton Rouge Parish.”

The intention of the program is to provide help to local small businesses that have struggled due to COVID-19.

“Small businesses and microenterprises account for nearly 80% of our local economy and employ many of our residents. The coronavirus pandemic placed an unprecedented financial burden on our businesses — many did not receive federal assistance from the Payroll Protection Program or SBA Loans,” said Mayor Broome. “Through the collaboration of leaders in our community, we were able to join together and create a program to offer assistance to our small businesses when they need it most, and without the burden of repayment.”

Along with the access to funds, the Resilient Restart EBR Program gives local small businesses the chance to take advantage of some support services.

A list of the support services provided through this program are listed below:

• Small Business Education
• One-On-One Business Counseling
• Comprehensive Business Planning and Support
• Loan Packaging
• Business Certifications

The news conference is taking place at 10:30 a.m. at Investar Bank which is located at 10922 Coursey Blvd.