Both Google and Facebook have pledged to offer funding to small businesses as part of a help package to give financial support during the disruption caused by COVID-19.
Google has unveiled a $340 million ad grant program to support SMEs affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The aim of Google’s grant program is to “alleviate some of the cost of staying in touch with customers”. This program is part of a larger global plan they have put in place to assist businesses affected.
Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated in a recent post “As the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen around the world, it’s taking a devastating toll on lives and communities. To help address some of these challenges, today we’re announcing a new $800+ million commitment to support small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), health organisations and governments, and health workers on the front line of this global pandemic.”
What we know about the Google grant programme so far:
Facebook has also announced they will support small businesses by offering $100 million in cash grants and ad credit. This will help up to 30,000 small businesses across 30 countries. The goal of this initiative is to keep companies’ workforces strong, help with their rent costs, connect with more customers and to help cover operational costs.
There are some predefined criteria in order for the small business to be eligible. These are:
At present, Facebook offers you to sign up to receive future updates about the Small Business Grants programme, so if you believe you fit within the eligibility requirements, we would suggest you sign up to keep updated. At the time of writing (8th April 2020) the programme is expected to be launched in the UK in the coming weeks – just get in touch if you need support with your application, and we will work together with our Facebook agency representatives to guide you through the qualification process.