Cornerstone Alliance Helping Businesses Through Pandemic

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Cornerstone Alliance continues to work with southwest Michigan businesses hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, helping them to apply for assistance. Cornerstone Vice President of Communications Christina Frank tells WSJM News even before the pandemic shut everything down, the organization knew small businesses were going to be hurt.

“We were already implementing a task force on March 13, so right even before the executive stay at home orders were issued, we were deploying resources and our team to be able to assist small businesses,” Frank said.

Frank says Cornerstone Alliance has helped more than 30 Berrien County businesses get more than $490,000 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Michigan Small Business Relief program. Cornerstone has also set up a rent and mortgage assistance program.

“To date, we have over $90,000 that have gone out in this community of Berrien County to assist those business owners with paying their rent.”

The latest small business assistance program is the Michigan Small Business Restart Grant program. Frank says it’s available to companies with 50 or fewer employees, and they can get up to $20,000. She invites business owners who are struggling to reach out to Cornerstone Alliance.