OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) yesterday approved $8,272,040 million in grants and $1,975,000 in low-interest loans for planning, economic development and rural broadband infrastructure construction projects. Five rural broadband projects were approved for nearly $8 million in funding from the CERB coronavirus capital projects fund, enabling an estimated 3,362 high-speed internet connections once completed. Projects are located in Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Mason, Skagit and…
Community Development Block Grants fund wide range of high-priority local projects, including public water, sewer, emergency and fire protection systems, streets, housing, food pantries and more. OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced 20 rural cities, towns and counties will receive a total of more than $11.4 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for 2021. The 22 projects funded will: improve rural water, sewer, streets,…
Who is included in Washington state’s vaccination and masking requirement? Here is a brief overview: All Commerce employees — including those working remotely — must be vaccinated by Oct. 18 unless approved for a medical or religious exemption. When working in person or onsite at a Commerce location, ALL independent contractors, grantees, service providers and volunteers must comply with the requirement to verify vaccination status AND wear a mask. If your contract or work…
In Excel, if you write a formula in a cell, it is common for it to contain a cell reference, which means the formula points to a value in one or more other cells. In the example below, the formula in cell E2 references cells B2, C2 and D2. It determines the total number of phone cards requested during the quarter by adding together the requests in April (B2), May…
More than half a million Washingtonians are at risk of having electricity, natural gas or water services shut off OLYMPIA, WA — The emergency proclamation preventing shut-off of water, electricity or natural gas services is slated to end Sept. 30. It is among the many emergency measures enacted by Gov. Jay Inslee in the wake of COVID-19. State leaders and utility operators estimate more than 500,000 Washingtonians have overdue bills…
Grants fund electricity grid projects that will expand renewable energy use and support community resilience. OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced approximately $3.9 million in grants from the state’s Clean Energy Fund for 18 electricity grid modernization projects across the state. As Washington’s utilities advance towards the state’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045, the projects will advance a variety of renewable energy technologies…
Washington’s Child Care Collaborative Task Force releases strategy that builds on historic Fair Start for Kids Act investments, calls for focus on growing the child care workforce. OLYMPIA, WA – Washington state’s Child Care Collaborative Task Force released a comprehensive new strategy that emphasizes the urgency of bolstering the child care workforce amidst a staggering turnover rate of 43 percent. The new Washington State Child Care Access Strategy makes clear…
Program works with and through trusted local lending institutions to support historically underserved businesses OLYMPIA, WA — Small business owners and nonprofits across Washington can start applying today for low interest loans of up to $150,000 through the newly-launched Small Business Flex Fund. The Fund is a public-private partnership aimed at helping small businesses and nonprofits – particularly those in low-income communities – recover and grow as communities across the…
Nonprofit Community Recovery grants assist organizations that provide gathering places and services to veterans and their families throughout the state. OLYMPIA, Wash. –The Washington State Department of Commerce and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) have awarded $2.2 million in Nonprofit Community Recovery Grants to assist nonprofit Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) as they continue supporting veterans during the pandemic. VSOs provide vital services in communities throughout the state for…
More than 350 growth-oriented small businesses helped during pandemic OLYMPIA, WA – “ScaleUp: The Rebuild Edition,” an education and training partnership between the Washington State Department of Commerce and Thurston Economic Development Council, has scheduled three new eight-week course tracks for small businesses interested in achieving exponential growth as the economy reopens. Each interactive course is two hours long and held once a week for eight weeks. The ideal participant…