Amidst the growing COVID-19 outbreak, Amazon has announced that it will create a $5 million fund for small business in Seattle affected by the growing outbreak.
Amazon will dedicate the fund to small businesses with fewer than 50 employees or less than $7 million in revenue. In order to access the fund, businesses must share how much they predict they will lose during March. Furthermore, they must back up those predictions with some sort of research. From there, Amazon will review applications and distribute funds next month.
With this fund, Amazon hopes to help businesses retain their employees. In addition, they hope to help small businesses pay rent and keep up with fixed costs related to daily operations
“As we all adapt to the circumstances caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, we know that we have an important role to play in keeping our employees and residents safe and healthy, and in supporting the local businesses that are our neighbors,” Amazon’s John Schoettler stated.
“This is a difficult time in our city, and we will continue to try to work with our community to get through it together,” he added.
In creating this fund, Amazon joins other major tech companies like Apple, Google and Twitter, who have made efforts to help those in need during this outbreak
