The county of Los Angeles in partnership with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative and Community Reinvestment Fund, USA has created a new online portal for small businesses to apply for the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

The PPP is a forgivable loan product created by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The online portal opens Wednesday, April 15 at 1 p.m. and can be accessed by clicking here.

* Business owners who access the application portal will initially submit an inquiry with CRF.

* Business owners should be prepared to provide information on their business.

* After successfully submitting an inquiry, loan processers at CRF will follow up directly with business owners to obtain necessary documents and information to process the paycheck loan request.

All eligible business owners who have been unable to apply for a PPP loan through a bank or other financial institutions are encouraged to submit an inquiry.

We urge you to apply at your earliest opportunity.

If you have any questions, contact the Los Angeles County Disaster Help Center at 833-238-4450.