First published in the Feb. 24 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
From Feb. 28-March 4, local business owners in the city of La Cañada Flintridge will be able to submit an intake form for the city’s “Round 2” of the Small Business Grant Program, an initiative intended to help independently owned and operated businesses that have been negatively affected by COVID-19 continue their operations and retain employees.
Available grants will be distributed through a lottery. All businesses that submit an intake form on the city’s website, which closes on March 4 at 11:59 p.m., will be included in the lottery process. Three qualifying applicants will be selected and invited to complete the final program application. The three successful applicants will receive a grant for an amount up to $10,000, which will be issued in March or April 2022.
To be eligible to apply, businesses must:
• Be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
• Have a commercial location in La Cañada Flintridge
• Use the grant for different business expenses than used for any prior federal, state or local loan or grant received
• Use the grant to create or retain a job for a low-and/or moderate-income person
Businesses may use the grant funds for operational business expenses such as employee payroll, working capital to continue operations, payment of outstanding business expenses and adaptive practices necessary to remain open such as equipment and supplies for physical distancing.
“The success of our community’s local businesses is a top priority,” said La Cañada Flintridge Mayor Terry Walker. “By launching the second round of the Small Business Grant Program, we strive to financially support our small businesses and help to assure their success.”
The program is funded by the Los Angeles County Development Authority, according to CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund guidelines. The LACDA is working with several participating Community Development Block Grant cities, including La Cañada Flintridge, to deliver the grants. In 2020, three “Round 1” grants in the amount of just under $12,000 each were awarded to a dry-cleaning business, hairdresser and fast-food establishment in the city.
For more information regarding the program or to submit an intake form, visit cityoflcf.org/sbg. For inquiries, contact Senior Management Analyst Lisa Brancheau at (818) 790-8881, or Lbrancheau@lcf.ca.gov.
