The state of California has announced a second round of COVID-19 relief grants of up to $25,000 for small businesses and nonprofits. The application window opens at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 2 and closes at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 8.
Small business owners who applied but did not receive a grant during the first round, which ended on January 13, will be automatically entered into this round.
Grant amounts awarded to small businesses will be determined by their revenue. Businesses that generate $1,000 to $100,000 in total revenue per year will be eligible to receive $5,000; businesses that generate $100,000 to $1 million will be eligible to receive $15,000; and businesses that generate $1 million to $2.5 million can receive a grant of $25,000.
Grants will be awarded based on multiple factors, including how widespread the pandemic is in a given county where a business is located, and which industry a business belongs to and how badly that sector has been impacted by the pandemic. Priority will also be given to businesses owned by women, people of color, veterans, and people living in low to moderate income households.
Business owners who require assistance in languages other than English can apply through community organizations that have partnered with the state. A list of those organizations, categorized by language and county, can be found here.
Applicants can prepare for the application process by watching live and recorded webinars, which are available here. Pre-recorded sessions are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese (Cantonese). The next live webinar will be held in Spanish on January 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and hosted by Prospera, an Oakland-based community organization that helps low-income Latinas start collectively owned businesses. Multiple webinars will take place throughout next week, ending Friday, February 5.
Further guidelines and links to partner resources can be found here.
