The Virginia Production Alliance is well aware of the situation that the coronavirus has brought to our livelihoods. We have collected resources from our allies at the Virginia Film Office, IATSE, SAG-AFTRA, Virginia Chamber, and Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association that may help you through this time.
Unemployment
Filing information: An unemployment insurance claim is filed against the state or Washington, DC, where you worked, not where you live. If all of your work in the last 18 months has been in a state or DC, your claim should be filed against that state. The laws of the state you are filing against govern your claim. In most cases, you will be instructed to contact the state where you worked directly. You may choose to combine the wages of the states in which you worked to establish a combined wage claim, which may result in a higher weekly benefit amount.
Below are links to the unemployment claim sites for Virginia, Maryland and DC. Before you sign on, make sure you have a list of employers of record (payroll companies) with date range for the past 18 months. If you’re a union member, you should call in your availability to 410.732.0414 ext. 304 each week by Friday noon.
Virginia Employment Commission
DC Department of Employment Services
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
SBA Disaster Loans and the CARES Act
The federal government has just passed a far-ranging $2.2 trillion Act designed to provide economic relief from COVID-19. The Act is very broad but includes a number of key provisions relevant to employers and workers. Loans to help cash flow for “small” businesses and nonprofits with 500 employees or less; the amount of the loan can be up to 2 ½ times your average monthly payroll (up to a maximum of $10 million); importantly, a significant portion of these loans will be forgiven for businesses that retain or rehire employees between now and June 30.
We want to make sure you have all the information you need to support your small business. The information below contains a step-by-step process that will walk you through how to apply for a small business loan and how to learn about different loans and qualifications:
- SBA Disaster Loan Assistance Application Page
- SBA Disaster Loans Three Step Process
- Virginia Small Business Financing Authority
- List of Approved Virginia SBA Lenders
- U.S. Chamber Paycheck Protection Summary
Additional Support Resources
Here are additional industry specific resources for relief during this time. Each has their own criteria for eligibility:
Actors Fund isn’t just for actors. It serves professionals in film and television as well.
The Behind The Scenes charity provides financial support to entertainment technology industry professionals who are seriously ill or injured. Grants can include basic living costs, medical related expenses transportation and funeral expenses.
The mission of the Broadcasters Foundation of America is to improve the quality of life and maintain the personal dignity of men and women in the radio and television broadcast profession who find themselves in acute financial need due to a critical illness, accident, advanced age or other serious misfortune.
The Motion Picture & Television Fund supports our entertainment community in living and aging well, with dignity and purpose, and in helping each other in times of need.
The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Fund’s goal is to provide both short-term and long-term assistance to veterans of the motion picture entertainment industry.
The Verizon LISC Recovery Fund will make grants of up to $10,000, especially to entrepreneurs of color, women-owned businesses and other enterprises in historically under-served places who don’t have access to flexible, affordable capital.