The Canadian Chamber of Commerce announced 62 $10,000 grant recipients from its Canadian Business Resilience Network Small Business Relief Fund today, including Lacombe based, Jo(e) Social Media Inc.
“We’ve been limited in what we could do with the Joe Youth Creative, given the protocol required and the loss of sponsorships and income from social media training that was supposed to support free programming. Now, we can push ahead with supporting kids and parents in a bigger way, in Central Alberta. We’re so excited,” Jo Phillips, Jo(e) Social Media Inc. owner, said.
Monica Bartman, Executive Director of the Lacombe & District Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber is proud to see Jo(e) receive the grant funding.
“Businesses are doing incredible things across the country and the fact that they were chosen from among so many deserving applicants is a testament to the incredible work they’re doing and to the tenacity of Central Albertan businesses,” she said.
More than 1100 small businesses across Canada applied for the 62 grants available. The lucky recipients were those that best demonstrated their financial strain, how the business will use the grant to change or innovate, how the change or innovation will sustain the business’s recovery and allow it to prosper, and how the grant will support the role each business plays in their community.
The fund was managed by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and made possible through the generosity of Salesforce (NYSE:CRM). The funding was designed to help small businesses across the country stay afloat and support their recovery efforts, paying salaries, retrofitting their workplaces and acquiring technology to adapt their business model. Salesforce has also provided grants to small businesses in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, in addition to providing other resources.
“Reviewing the applications was both heartbreaking and inspiring, We saw how seriously small businesses across Canada have been hurt by the pandemic, but we also saw how determined these entrepreneurs are to preserve their employees’ jobs and to serve their customers and their communities. Today is a happy waypoint, not an end point, and we won’t stop finding new ways to help Canada’s businesses reopen and recover. We’ll be with them every step of the way,” said Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, Canadian Chamber.
“It has been incredible to see the resilience coming from Canada’s small business owners over the last few months. We know it hasn’t been easy,” said Margaret Stuart, Canada Country Manager, Salesforce. “The applicants have further demonstrated what we at Salesforce already knew to be true - that Canada is rich with innovation and entrepreneurial talent. We’re hopeful that these grants will provide essential support to small business owners as they return to work.”
-Submitted by the Lacombe and District Chamber of Commerce