- Cathy O’Connor
Partnerships lead to substantive support
Over the past three months, existing collaborations and relationships paved the way for Oklahoma City to quickly launch new programs to help small businesses weather the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alliance for Economic Development has always had a collaborative working relationship with the city of Oklahoma City and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber because of our aligned vision and overlapping responsibilities to create and sustain a healthy, diverse economy. These partnerships will be continuing to focus efforts on economic recovery including community and business support programs utilizing federal CARES Act funds.
One of the primary efforts of this partnership was the creation of an aid program designed to quickly put funding into the hands of small business owners to help meet payroll and other basic business expenses. The Oklahoma City Small Business Continuity Program drew over 600 applications in an 11-day window. Final review of those applications is nearing completion and additional funds may become available for the program.
