Recovery Connect can connect businesses who are struggling to remain safely open and operating during the pandemic to resources that can help. Check out our resource list below.
Contact us by email at recoveryconnect@wichita.edu or by phone at (316) 978-6737 to get started with an initial assessment.
Kansas Department of Commerce
As a general funding resource, businesses should check the Kansas Department of Commerce website often. They are responsible for administering all federal and state pass-thru funding to businesses in various sectors year-round. Businesses can always call and email them directly with any question regarding future funding. Their number is (785) 296-3481 and email is Emily.Unruh@ks.gov.
ARPA Small Business Digital Transformation Program
With the Small Business Digital Transformation Program (1 session per week for 4 weeks), learn how to develop a digital mindset, increase customer value, improve efficiencies, and make your business more resilient for whatever comes next. Digital Tools can help capture data that provides insights into customer needs, improve efficiencies in business processes, expand your customer reach with online sales, and increase customer connection and loyalty. Apply here.
From: It is funded by the City of Wichita’s ARPA funds and offered by the WSU Office of Innovation and New Ventures.
Amount: Upon course completion, a business may qualify for up to $10,000 in funding.
Eligibility: A business located within the city of Wichita, less than 500 employees, currently operating, established prior to March 1st, 2020, negatively impacted by COVID-19, and attendance at all four sessions.
*The program is now taking waiting list applications. Currently, they are working on an additional program. Please fill out the application to receive updates.
State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)
This program will provide matching capital to bank loans for locally owned small businesses.
The program is just getting started. Check back for more details or look for announcements from the Kansas Department of Commerce.
COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Act
For-profit retail businesses who were forced to close or suffered restricted operations during the pandemic may be eligible to receive partial tax refunds. Visit the Kansas Department of Revenue for more details.
Contact the Office of Recovery with any questions by email at Recovery@ks.gov or by phone at (785) 368-8507.
Any applications filed after April 15, 2023 must be submitted using the paper form found here. Late applications will be processed only in the event good cause is shown for being late.
Kansas Child Day Care Assistance Tax Credit
The Child Day Care Assistance Tax Credit is designed to encourage businesses to purchase
or provide child care services for their
employees' children. A business which provides this service is entitled to a credit
against their income tax liability. To claim the credit, a
business must complete Schedule K-56, which is filed with the income tax return. To
learn more about this oppurtunity, click here.
KinderCare Education at Work
KinderCare offers a variety of services to help businesses support their employees and their families. They offer a custom KinderCare, a personalized child care solution on-site or near your workplace. First, they'll conduct a needs assessment survey and analysis. They'll then work with you to develop a plan. Your partnership with KinderCare will continue after the center is opened.
If building a center isn't in your business's plan, they also offer scalable child care benefits packages to help you meet you employees' needs. Some of these include employer-provided tuition savings, priority access to in-demand care, back-up care and family care days, and dedicated space at care centers.
Visit their website to learn more.
Visit the Recovery Connect page for individuals for more child care resources.
Creating a Fundraising Plan and Strategies to Diversify Funding
Fundraising is one of the biggest challenges nonprofits face. For small to medium size nonprofits it's even a bigger challenge. We will go through the steps of setting goals and identifying strategies for raising funds and diversifying your funding.
This presentation can be found here.
Engaging the Nonprofit Board in Fundraising
Every nonprofit board member should be responsible for helping the organization to fundraise and there are many ways to get engaged in assisting with fundraising. Find out what nonprofit board members can be doing to assist and how to get them to do so.
This presentation can be found here.
Developing the Donor Database
Learn how to find potential donors and how to establish a donor database and become familiar with a few low- or no-cost tools to help you manage that database.
The Basics of Grant Writing can be found here.
This session will introduce participants to a step-by-step approach for writing grant proposals. Participants will learn:
Building Grant Budgets can be found here.
Requirements for grant proposal budgets vary, but there are some common elements and rules most funders follow. This session will include:
Apply for Federal Grants: Navigating SAM and Grants.gov can be found here.
This session will review and demonstrate navigating the System for Award Management (SAM) and Grants.gov websites.
Lessons Learned: Building and Maintaining Coalitions for Grant Projects can be found here.
This session includes a discussion and tips for engaging and retaining committed partners for grant applications and sustaining partner engagement until project completion.
Ready to Apply for Grant Funding? A Subrecipient's Guide
This presentation from Sedgwick County and Witt O'Brien's LLC is full of advice, tips, and step-by-step guides for the grant application process.
Click here to get started.
SBA & EDA Midsize Loan
SBA Community Advantage Midsize Loan
SCKEDD Disaster Relief Program (SDRP)
NetWork Kansas Matching Loan Programs
StartUp Kansas
Kansas Capital Multiplier
Women & Minority Business Multiplier
E-Community Loan Funds
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
The SBA helps Americans start, build, and grow businesses. SBA contacts at the Wichita District Office can help small business clients seeking access to capital. They work directly with business owners to make an assessment of what they need and their level of readiness for financing.
Contact Janelle M. Jones (Lender Relations Specialist/Administrative Officer) by phone at (202) 845-4184 or email janelle.jones@sba.gov.
CML Collective, LLC.
CML Collective works with businesses and brands that prioritize inclusion to strengthen marketing and communication strategies. Services include graphic design, communications (project-based consulting), and business development.
For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit their website.
Create Campaign, Inc.
Create Campaign, Inc. offers consulting services, resources, events, and funding for urban entrepreneurs in Kansas. They focus specifically on helping minority businesses develop and grow.
For more info and/or to connect with their services visit their website.
SPARK Community Business Academy
The SPARK Academy is a 12-week program designed for new and growing businesses. They offer training in planning, financials, and management with curriculum tailored to minority entrepreneurs. For more information about this program, click here.
Contact Alejo Cabral at acabral@createcampaignks.com for more details or with any questions.
NetWork Kansas Referral Center and Resource Navigator
NetWork Kansas' Referral Center staff is available to help entrepreneurs and small business owners access business-building resources from their non-profit partners.
Call 877-521-8600 to speak with a Referral Coordinator who can help you navigate through partner resources or visit their website to use their Resource Navigator.
C3S Business Support Service
Consultants from Community Connections Consulting Services LLC (C3S) offer many support services to small business owners. The firm's services focus on supporting back-end business needs so that owners can focus more attention on their clients. Services include:
Connect with their services online.
Kansas Workforce Centers
Kansas Workforce Centers offer a multitude of no cost services to employers. Some of these include:
Visit their website for more info.
ShockStarter Marketing/Communications Team
ShockStarter Marketing/Communications Team was created as an applied learning opportunity for Wichita State students to meet the marketing/communication needs for internal Wichita State clients, as well as entrepreneurs, organizations, and small businesses. ShockStarter is not meant to be a replacement for full-service marketing firms and freelancers, but as an additional resource for them.
To learn more about the ShockStarter Marketing/Communications Team, visit their website.
Wichita Independent Business Association
WIBA offers benefits like networking, expertise, opportunities, and advocacy to its members. Visit their website to learn more about membership benefits.
The WSU Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE)
The Wichita State University Center for Entrepreneurship serves a connector for community startups and businesses, and campus innovation. CFE offers instructional support for people with ideas and startups, and guidance, resources and connections for area and family-owned businesses.
Contact Troy Tabor at troy.tabor@wichita.edu for more details or with any questions. You can also learn more about CFE on their website.
WSU Ignitor Idea Accelerator
Spark your ideas into a startup in just 8 weeks with this free community program. Ignitor is a platform to refine your business concepts, get help with validation, and provides access to training, resources, and mentors. Whether you have an idea or are looking to be more innovative, this accelerator introduces you to like-minded individuals in Wichita and surrounding areas and connects you with tools to inspire growth as an entrepreneur.
Contact Kiley Burris at kiley.burris@wichita.edu or visit their website for more information.
Kansas Small Business Development Center at WSU
Offers confidential, no-cost advising to help an individual start or grow their business. They also offer over 75 training events each year to support individuals with all aspects of their work. No-cost, confidential advising sessions are also available. For more information, visit there website.
Address: WSU Metropolitan Complex, 5015 E 29th Street North
Contact: (316) 978-3193 or ksbdc@wichita.edu
ARPA Small Business Digital Transformation Program (SBDT)
During this program (1session per week for 4 weeks), participants will learn how to develop a digital mindset, increase customer value, improve efficiencies, and make their business more resilient. The program engages students to connect small business leadership and digitally focused talent. Upon course completion your company may be eligible for funding up to $10,000 for implementing digital tools.
Visit their website for more information and to apply.
For more information on the Small Business Digital Transformation (SBDT) Program contact Jeremy Patterson at (316) 978-3786 or jeremy.patterson@wichita.edu.
NetWork Kansas Classes
Network Kansas offers a wide range of classes on topics such as:
Visit their website for details on class offerings.
Small Business Development Programming at Empower
Empower offers intentionally designed, bilingual programs to help small business owners, particularly those on the North End of Wichita, thrive.
Kansas Workforce Centers
Kansas Workforce Centers offer a multitude of no cost services to employers. Some of these include: job postings on KANSASWORKS.com, job fairs, applicant screening, coordination & facilitation of training programs, skills assessments & testing, labor market information, and more.
See their website for more info.
COVID-19 Vaccinations & Boosters
Sedgwick County Health Department Main Clinic. COVID-19 vaccinations are offered by appointment at SCHD's Main Clinic at 2716 W. Central for uninsured adults and children and for children who are covered by CHIP or Medicaid/KanCare. To schedule an appointment, call 316-660-7300.
One dose of Pfizer bivalent vaccine for people 5+ years old.
A two-dose Novavax vaccine is available for people 12+.
One dose of Pfizer bivalent vaccine for individuals ages 5+ who have previously received a monovalent vaccine and who have not yet received a dose of bivalent vaccine.
One dose of Pfizer bivalent vaccine for individuals 65+ years who have received a single dose of bivalent vaccine at least 4 months following their last dose.
One dose of Pfizer bivalent vaccine for immunocompromised individuals who have received a bivalent vaccine at least 2 months after their last dose. A physician may authorize additional doses.
People 18+ can get a Novavax booster if they have completed a primary series at least 6 months ago, have received no previous boosters and cannot or will not get the bivalent booster.
Bring These: Come prepared with the following to expedite the vaccination process:
Complete a registration form {English} {Spanish} {Vietnamese}
You will not be asked to provide other forms of identification.
COVID-19 Testing
Type of testing provided
SCHD's in-house lab provides antigen testing. Antigen tests, often referred to as rapid tests, detect proteins called antigens from the virus that causes COVID-19.
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