COVID-19 Information & Resources
Our philosophy as a business is to approach this situation with urgency and empathy. We care about the health and safety of our employees and of the communities we serve, including our tenants, customers and partners.
As we continue to adapt our business in response to COVID-19 and its economic impact, below you will see details of the support measures we’ve introduced so far, along with a set of resources that we hope will help our tenants to adapt to these times. We will continue to monitor this evolving situation and update this page accordingly.
General Information
For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, we encourage you to visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) websites:
Re-Opening Information
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ICSC Re-Opening Best Practices
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Resources for Tenants
Due to the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the United States and state governments have established programs that may provide individuals and small to mid-size businesses assistance to minimize the economic impact. We encourage you to research programs that may be applicable to your business or situation.
CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers
The CDC has offered guidance for risk assessment and public health management. We encourage you and your employees to become familiar with these guidelines:
Federal Programs
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Main Street Lending Program
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The Federal Reserve is expanding the scope and eligibility for the Main Street Lending Program, developed to help credit flow to small and medium-sized businesses that were in sound financial condition before the pandemic. Click here for more information.
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SBA Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources
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Visit the U.S. Small Business Administration Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources to find guidance for small and mid-sized businesses and employers impacted by COVID-19, an economic loan program, other SBA products and resources, guidance for businesses with federal contracts, and local assistance through district offices.
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CARES Act
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The new Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has appropriated $376 billion in relief for American workers and small businesses. The small business funding programs are administered through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
State by State Resources
Many States offer guidance for businesses and individuals impacted by COVID-19. We have compiled a list of local and state government websites for the states Federal conducts business below:
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California
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District of Columbia
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Florida
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Illinois
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Maryland
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Massachusetts
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Michigan
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New Jersey
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New York
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North Carolina
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Pennsylvania
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Virginia
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Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT (Giving Resiliency Assets Near Term) Program (application opens in early May)
Additional Resources
Below are resources that are available to assist small and midsize businesses through these challenging times. You are encouraged to research these programs to determine which might be of assistance to your business.
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Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation
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RWCF is working to collect information and links to resources that will help restaurants and workers deal most effectively with the COVID-19 Emergency. Click here for an up-to-date list.
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Facebook's Small Business Grant Program
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Facebook is offering $100M in cash grants and ad credits to help during this challenging time. Apply here.
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Hello Alice Business for All Emergency Grant
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Hello Alice is offering $10,000 grants being distributed immediately to small business owners impacted by coronavirus. In addition to funding, grant recipients will receive ongoing support from the Hello Alice community.
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Opportunity Fund Assistance for Small Business Owners
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Opportunity Fund, which specializes in money lending to small businesses owned by women, immigrants and people of color, is collaborating with investors and nonprofits to put together a coronavirus relief fund that will provide grants and low-interest rate loans.
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The Red Backpack Fund
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The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation is giving 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to female entrepreneurs in the U.S. The window for applications will open on May 4, June 1, July 6, and August 3. Click here for more information.
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GoFundMe Small Business Relief Fund
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GoFundMe will issue $500 matching grants to qualifying businesses that raise at least $500 on GoFundMe.com.
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Kiva
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Kiva is offering 0% interest loans, expanding loan eligibility for more businesses in the US, increasing their maximum loan threshold from $10,000 to $15,000 and extending their grace period to up to 6 months for new borrowers.
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Honeycomb Crowdfunded Small Business Relief Loan
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To help deliver the working capital that businesses need, Honeycomb is offering 45-day payment free periods, 6-month interest-only periods and reducing their posting, success, and investor fees.
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Mainvest
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Mainvest, a crowdfunding platform, is offering a $2,000, zero-interest, 120-day loan for brick & mortar businesses affected by the shutdown when they launch a capital raise through their site.
Supporting Our Communities
We recognize the critical role of our properties in the communities they serve, often providing access to essential retail and services such as groceries, drug stores, and doctor’s offices.
- Our shopping centers remain open to continue to provide access to critical goods and services.
- We are closely monitoring recommendations and mandates of local/state governments and health authorities as we work with tenants to reopen when permitted.
- We increased measures such as additional sanitation and heavy cleaning throughout high-touch areas to ensure the well-being of our residents, visitors, workers, and staff.
- Around the Northeast region, in an effort to support our tenants and community needs, we launched a partnership with several of our restaurants to donate over 2,200 meals (and counting) to individuals that need it most, such as the homeless, hospital staff and the fire department.
- At THE AVENUE at White Marsh in Baltimore, we partnered with Giant Food to donate hard-to-find cleaning supplies to the Baltimore Police Department, 9th Precinct.
- In partnership with the City of Somerville, Partners Healthcare and Battelle, Federal is providing space in the parking lot of Assembly Square at no cost for an N95 mask decontamination facility that extends their lifetime to up to 10 times apiece. Up to 80,000 masks are being sanitized per day.
Supporting Our Employees
The health and safety of our employees and their families is important to us. We have taken steps to protect our employees and empower them to work from home and care for their family members and children whose lives have also been impacted.
- We transitioned our workforce to work from home, ensuring they are safely situated during this critical social distancing period.
- For our few essential employees who come into our offices, we have provided ample supplies of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes as well as enhanced cleaning.
- For our essential employees who take care of our properties to ensure that grocery stores and other essential businesses can provide much needed services to the public, we are providing those employees with protective equipment when it becomes available without impacting supplies available to healthcare workers and first responders.
- All business travel has stopped until further notice. State-of-the-art technology and software allow our full team to work from anywhere fairly easily.
- Our human resources and information technology teams are available to all employees to address any needs or concerns they may have.
- A COVID-19 resource center was established on our intranet to provide employees with resources to help them navigate through this difficult time both personally and professionally.
- Our medical plan provides important support for both physical and psychological needs during this stressful period. Associates will receive paid time off to care for themselves or family members as they need.
- We’ve increased communications at all levels and have initiated regular company-wide virtual meetings such that executives are accessible, can keep associates informed, and employees’ questions are answered.
We will continue to evaluate situations as they arise and adjust our approach as appropriate, with the goal to enable our employees to be as productive as possible while offering them the flexibility they need to care for themselves and their families.
Updated as of May 6, 2020
The content of this page is provided for informational purposes only. Federal Realty Investment Trust (“Federal”) does not control and makes no representations, claims, promises, or guarantees (in each case, express or implied) as to the accuracy, completeness, relevance, timeliness or adequacy of the content, the links, or resources provided on this page. Federal shall not be liable in any way for any damage or loss in connection with the use or reliance on the content, the links, or resources contained on this website. Federal does not endorse any website, organization, product or service referenced herein nor do the views and opinions expressed in any content, links or resources necessarily reflect those of Federal.