Baton Rouge, LA – May 18, 2017 - The Restore Louisiana Small Business Program has partnered with TruFund Financial Services, Inc. to provide financial assistance to small business owners in 17 parishes that suffered substantial flood-related damages during the 2016 floods.
Small businesses in East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, St. James, Tangipahoa, Washington, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Livingston, Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, Allen, Calcasieu, Pointe Coupee, Iberville, East Feliciana, and West Feliciana Parishes are eligible to receive $20,000 - $50,000 in loan assistance through the Restore Louisiana Small Business Program. Additional parishes deemed a federal disaster outside of the 17 listed, can also receive assistance through the Restore Louisiana Small Business Program. Click here for a full list.
“We know there are many business owners throughout our local communities that have been impacted by this historic flooding. The vast majority have expressed plans to reopen their businesses in the current location once repairs are made” said James H. Bason, President and CEO, TruFund Financial Services, Inc. “Providing these hardworking entrepreneurs with the resources and access to capital they need to rebuild their businesses is a step forward in the revitalization of these impacted communities.”
TruFund, in partnership with the Southwest Louisiana Alliance SEED Center, Bogalusa Chamber of Commerce, the Microbusiness Enterprise Corporation of Ascension (MBECA) and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) organizations– Southeastern Louisiana University and Southern University, will host a series of informational sessions in several parishes in late-May and June for small business owners to learn more about the financial assistance available through the Restore Louisiana Small Business Program. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with TruFund loan officers and submit applications. For a full list of informational sessions, click here.
Small business owners can also apply for the program in person at the TruFund office, located at 8550 United Plaza Blvd, Suite #702 in Baton Rouge.
"Small business owners are the economic lifelines of our local communities, and we must do everything we can to provide critical financial support during these challenging times,” said Kim Carter Evans, National Director of Corporate Communications, TruFund Financial Services, Inc. “We hope this program will assist these deserving families in moving forward.”
TruFund Financial Services, Inc. has a substantive and robust history in providing access to capital for small business owners throughout the U.S. In addition, the organization prides itself on offering educational, technical assistance and lending components for small businesses.
For more information, please visit TruFund.org, email RestoreLouisiana@trufund.org or call 1-866-329-8939.
###
About TruFund Financial Services
TruFund Financial Services, Inc. is a wholly independent national non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). TruFund seeks to stimulate economic development in communities that are underserved by traditional banking institutions by providing fair and accessible capital, hands-on technical assistance and innovative solutions to small businesses and nonprofit organization. To learn more about TruFund, visit www.trufund.org.
About the Restore Louisiana Small Business Program
The Restore Louisiana Small Business Program is funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds made available by the Louisiana Division of Administration, Office of Community Development, Disaster Recovery Unit.
