CARES Act Resource Partners Training Portal

The CARES Act authorized funds up to $25 million for SBA to administer a grant to an association or associations representing resource partner centers to establish a single centralized hub (a portal) for COVID-19 information for small businesses. The SBA Inspector General’s Report on the progress and success of the portal shows disappointing results. “The grant recipient developed and launched the hub on schedule, the hub functioned properly and met the technical requirements for federal websites. However, SBA did not ensure the grant recipient developed and implemented an effective marketing and outreach strategy to ensure the hub successfully achieved the legislative purpose.” Bottom line: Despite $25 million, not much help to small businesses.  #IdeaoftheDay