Recently, Main Street America (MSA) released interactive maps that display the results from their sweeping online survey, “The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses.” The maps provide a state and local breakdown of the survey results from more than 5,850 small-business owners, helping us to better understand what is happening in Main Street programs across the nation. Below are materials that programs can use to get the word out about COVID-19’s impact on businesses:

Press Release Templates: Use this press release if there is survey data from your state or community you found in MSA’s interactive map that you would like to share with local media. Use this general press release if you do not have relevant data from your state or community you’d like to share but want to get the word out about COVID-19’s impact on businesses.

Social Media Assets: Download and share these social graphics to communicate the profound impact of COVID-19 on small businesses. Here is language that you can use to accompany the graphics.

“All of us at Main Street America stand with you during this very challenging moment. Our work together today will help ensure the health of our communities in the days to come.” – Patrice Frey, President and CEO, NMSC

We highly encourage Main Street communities to also review the following:

• The Grills Fund for Main Street Revitalization seeks to provide five accredited Main Street programs $10,000 each to help fund innovative revitalization efforts to address the current/legacy impacts of COVID-19. Apply now!
• The COVID-19 Community Response blog series features ideas and approaches that local Main Street America programs are taking in response to the pandemic. MSA will be posting these roundups frequently throughout the duration of the crisis. They are encouraging communities to share their initiatives using this survey.
• Recordings and slides of MSA’s previous COVID-19-related webinars, including Leading Through Crisis, Supporting Local Safely and an Organizational Health Check Up, and supporting documents can be found here.
• MSA’s COVID-19 Main Street Resources web page has a new look! They reorganized and streamlined the resource page, creating new break-out sections and focus areas to make it easier to navigate.
• MSA asks communities to share with them people who have brought joy and support to Main Streets programs during the pandemic. Volunteers, staff, neighbors, and others who are pulling long nights, converting their businesses to make hand sanitizer, providing free meals to first responders and everyone in between. This initiative is part of April’s We Are Main Street theme: volunteers. They are asking communities to share their kudos using this survey.