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Grantmaking Entity for CA Microbusiness Grant Program

Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development · 7108

Eligibility details

The purpose of this announcement is to solicit applications from California’s 58 county governments as eligible grantmaking entities to administer a grant program for their county and distribute $2,500 grants to eligible microbusinesses impacted by COVID-19 and related health and safety restrictions. Round 1 is open only to California county governments.

Matching funds & resources

Source matching-funds field: Not Required.

Matching funds and leveraged resources are different requirements. Read the description and reviewed rules below before determining resource commitments.

About this opportunity

The California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program (MBCRG) was created in 2021 to assist qualified microbusinesses that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in California. Existing law (Government Code Section 12100.83) requires CalOSBA to make grants to assist qualified small businesses negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with specified criteria, including geographic distribution based on COVID-19 restrictions and industry sectors most impacted by the pandemic, among other things. The California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program was enacted by Senate Bill No. 151 (Government Code 12100.90). The new funds will be expressly for microbusinesses and administered by the Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) through county agencies and coalitions of nonprofit organizations (“grantmaking entity/ies”) that will disperse the funds to microbusinesses and entrepreneurs in the state. CalOSBA within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) is charged with administering and providing oversight for the Program. The MBCRG Program provides approximately fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) in one-time grant funding to administer a Request for Proposal (RFP) for eligible grantmaking entities defined as a county government or consortium of nonprofit, community-based organizations. The intent of the funding is to provide relief to the hardest to reach microbusinesses and entrepreneurs. The grantmaking entities will develop and implement an outreach and marketing plan to identify and engage eligible microbusinesses that face systemic barriers to access capital, including but not limited to, businesses owned by women, minorities, veterans, individuals without documentation, individuals with limited English proficiency, and business owners located in low-wealth and rural, communities. The Program will award funds to eligible grantmaking entities to distribute grants to eligible microbusinesses that have been impacted by COVID-19 and the associated health and safety restrictions. The program was authorized with a single round of funding ending on December 31, 2022 (repeal date). ONLY COUNTY GOVERNMENTS PROPOSING TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM ARE ELIGIBLE ROUND 1. The deadline to apply for Round 1 is Tuesday November 30 2021 by 5:00PM Please see the request for proposals for additional information: https://cdn.calosba.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021-22-MBCRG-Program-Announcement-FINAL.pdf

Funding geography: California

Funding instrument: Grant. Issuing jurisdiction: California. This is not a geographic eligibility determination.