The City of Long Beach’s Community Development Department has established a Microenterprise Assistance Grant Program to assist qualified local small business who were adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Donor Name: City of Long Beach
State: New York
City: Long Beach
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/18/2022
Size of the Grant: up to $5,000
Details:
The primary objective of this program is to make funds available to microenterprise businesses that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to support new micorenterprise business owners by providing start up funds. The purpose of the program is to support the economic sustainability and recovery of those businesses which serve all within The City of Long Beach, including Low- to Moderate- Income residents of the community.
Funding Information
Grants of up to $5,000 for rent, lease, mortgage (principal only, not including interest, insurance, or taxes) and/or utility costs incurred (or plan to be incurred) by the business will be awarded to eligible microenterprise business owners. Eligible utility costs shall include the costs of electricity, business phone and internet services, natural gas, propane, fuel oil, wood or coal, and water and sewage service, as well as garbage collection.
Eligibility Criteria
- Microenterprise Assistance grants will be awarded to eligible, for-profit, microenterprise businesses. Eligible businesses are those whose owner or owners are at least 18 years of age, employ 5 or fewer employees, including the owner or owners, are located within the City of Long Beach, provide goods or services to multiple clients or customers, are in current operation and were established prior to March, 1, 2020, whose owner or owners are in good standing with the City of Long Beach and required licenses and registrations, and who are not a party to any litigation involving the aforementioned state or municipality.
- Additionally, eligible businesses must have experienced, and be able to document, a loss of income due to COVID-19 which is equal to or greater than the amount of financial assistance being requested or offered. Finally, per the guidelines of the City of Long Beach Community Development’s Notice of Funding Availability for this program (CDBG- 43rd Year), certain businesses are not eligible for to receive funding under this program. Specifically, ineligible businesses are listed as those consisting of real estate rentals or sales, liquor sales, weapons or firearms sales, cannabis sales, lobbying activities, or corporate chains. The minimum eligibility criteria as established by the City of Long Beach Community Development CDBG program and by the City of Long Beach Microenterprise Assistance Program are listed below:
- Businesses must be a microenterprise business or newly formed microentnerprise business adversely impacted by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The term “microenterprise” is defined by CDBG guidelines as a commercial enterprise that has 5 or fewer employees (including the owner or owners), 1 or more of whom owns the enterprise.
- Business must be a for-profit business entity (sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, or LLCs).
- Business must have a physical establishment located within the City of Long Beach and must provide goods or services to multiple clients or customers.
- Business must be currently in operation and have been established prior to March 1, 2020.
- Business must be in good standing with the state and City of Long Beach at the time of application with respect to the following:
- Active and valid applicable state licenses/registrations
- Not a party to litigation involving the state or City of Long Beach
- Business must be able to document a loss of income due to COVID-19 which is equal to or greater than the requested amount of assistance provided by this grant.
- Business must not be listed as one of the following excluded business types:
- Real estate rentals/sales businesses
- Businesses owned by persons under age 18
- Businesses that are chains or franchise
- Liquor stores
- Weapons/firearms dealers
- Lobbyists
- Cannabis-related businesses
- Business must serve the entire community-wide area of the City of Long Beach, with a 54% proportion of Low-to-Moderate-Income (LMI) residents.
- Adverse impacts of COVID-19 must be documented as part of the application process and any funds awarded as part of this program must be equal to or less than the adverse financial impacts of COVID-19 experienced by the business.
For more information, visit City of Long Beach.
