Los Angeles Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund

El Arte Barbershop – South Los Angeles

The stagnation in business during this time almost put El Arte Barbershop at risk of being evicted. When Roberto got the notice that his barbershop would be a recipient of an LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant, he was able to keep his business from getting evicted, upgrade equipment and make repairs to the shop and make sure El Arte Barbershop would be able to reopen safely when the restriction was lifted by putting money towards making his business in compliance with the new COVID-19 safety standards.
“Through most of the 80’s and 90’s we’ve been a staple of the community,” Sanchez said. “I’d like to express my deep appreciation for this help. My livelihood had been at risk and the grant minimized that risk.”

Los Angeles Music and Art School – East Los Angeles

The school usually serves 530 students a week, but today, is only able to serve about half of that. Despite the challenges to retain students who are unable to transition to online learning, Jequinto said that the grant they received from the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund is helping them continue employing their teachers and helping them reach new students past the standard two-mile radius. LA Music and Art’s main focus is to spread the grant throughout the community to those who face a disadvantage at their school, and innovation is more important than ever to serve their community. Their staff is performing remotely to inspire their kids to maintain their love of the arts. The funds have already and will continue to help them sustain their programs, including support to 37 teaching artists who create virtual lesson plans and curriculum that will be implemented through December 2020.

Jequinto says that with support from the LA Regional COVID-19 Fund and strategic planning, the school has been able to stay open and reach more students. She encourages other organizations in similar situations to apply.

Sweet Potato Music – Northeast Los Angeles

This became an issue for her family’s financial security, as her husband’s career was among the affected industries put on hold due to the pandemic. When Leah received her grant from the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund, she was able to supplement her payroll, replace equipment to meet the latest COVID-19 safety protocols and invest in innovative ideas to boost Sweet Potato Music’s presence and popularity in its new online environment. With the financial aid the grant provided for Paul’s business, she has since been able to host a number of small, socially-distanced outdoor classes, which she says has been really helpful—many parents have told her these classes are the first thing they’ve been able to do with their kids in months.

“The grant gave me breathing room to get what I needed to change direction. There are still so many unknowns that I can’t relax, but I feel like I have enough structure in place that I will be able to get through this,” Leah Paul said. “Even before COVID I felt like what I did was important. But now I am not just providing an education, but a community.”

The People of Change – South Los Angeles, District 6

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the People of Change to halt many of their in-person activities at schools and churches, impacting nearly 500 students who could no longer access their services. Now, the program has shifted to a virtual summer program via Zoom to bring students interactive and immersive learning from home—with speakers like scientists behind the space shuttle that delivered a rover on Mars. With the help of the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant, the organization can continue to impact children all over South Central Los Angeles who depend on their services and programming to be inspired, influenced and exposed to the STEM field programming.

“The grant has definitely helped to create science packets, without it I was sincerely thinking about postponing the program until the pandemic ended and we could afford it,” Dimitrios Jones said. “Over the summer we made 50 individual packs of materials and instructions for experiments.”

OLASTEO – South Los Angeles, District 4

Friedman says the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant OLASTEO received will help fund the series for the next nine months, featuring ten impactful speakers for the community. The grant additionally helped them fund their recent Summer Virtual Experience, a two-day event with virtual guest-speakers and educational sessions. Now, the grant is supporting their operations and marketing efforts to directly expand their organization’s presence in Los Angeles. As a newer organization in South Los Angeles, the grant gives OLASTEO and Friedman hope that major grantmakers will recognize their dedicated work in the community—starting with the successes following their LA Regional COVID-19 Fund grant.

“We are a relatively new organization with huge dreams and aspirations—thinking globally and acting locally,” said Friedman. “Years from now, when we’ve impacted hundreds, perhaps thousands of students, funded in significant part by grant money, we will never forget the one grant that got it all started.”

La Lupita Restaurant – East Los Angeles

iJoy Lash Lounge – Lakewood

She had to purchase personal protection equipment as a part of the City and County’s COVID-19 safety protocols,, yet her business was to be closed yet again during the summer. Roberts is currently still waiting to hear from city officials if she can reopen her business, but the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant has allowed her to keep up with rent so far. In adapting to the challenges of the pandemic, Roberts is launching a product line that can transition her business into a pandemic-proof source of income.

“The grant has given me the opportunity to keep my business during the current shutdown. I was forced to close my doors for a second time in July, and without this grant, I would not have been able to keep up with the rent,” Roberts added. “Now, I will be able to have a business to re-open once given the green light.”

The Emily Shane Foundation – LA County

When Shane applied for the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant, she did so in hopes of being able to keep the Emily Shane Foundation’s flagship program, Successful Educational Achievement (SEA), running. The program, Shane explains, provides academic and personal support to those who may not be able to afford the resources to succeed. The only cost to students is to implement the Foundation’s motto “Pass It Forward”, in which students must perform a good deed for others and share it with the Foundation. And in that same “Pass It Forward” fashion, when Shane became a grant recipient, she immediately dedicated the entire grant to their SEA program to keep serving as many students as they can, during a time when it’s more important than ever to keep students from falling behind.

“It is truly a much needed lifeline to our continuing to serve children here in LA,” said Ellen Shane. “The need for what we do is greatly magnified due to virtual learning.”

California Families In Focus – Long Beach

“The COVID pandemic may have taken our freedom but it did not take the courageous and generous spirit of our members,” Macia said. “CFF feels honored and proud to be able to meet the needs of thousands of our community members through our combined COVID relief efforts.”

Small Business Revitalization Grant

Los Angeles County Development Authority
Round I (County only) October 9, 2020 – October 16, 2020
Round II (County and City) October 22, 2020 – October 26, 2020

Los Angeles County is providing aid to businesses that have been allowed to reopen by the State, but ordered to remain closed by the County of Los Angeles Health Officer Order as of September 4, 2020.

Operated by the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA), the Program was designed to assist breweries with no kitchen, wineries with no kitchen, miniature golf parks, batting cage facilities, kart racing centers, and tanning salons in Los Angeles County that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligible applicants were eligible to receive $30,000 to use for working capital such as employee payroll, working capital to continue operations, payment of outstanding business expenses, and adaptive business practices needed to remain open.

Los Angeles County Employer Assistance Grant Fund

Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services

The Board of Supervisors approved $46 million towards employer assistance grants to provide economic recovery support to community-serving businesses and employees financially impacted by COVID-19. Within the Los Angeles County Employer Assistance Grant Fund, businesses were able to apply to one of the following options below.

Childcare Provider Grant Program

Los Angeles County Development Authority
September 14, 2020 – September 25, 2020

In an effort to assist licensed childcare providers affected by the COVID-19 crisis, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has provided $10 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to create the COVID-19 CARES Act Childcare Provider Grant Program, operated by the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA). The program aimed to support eligible licensed childcare operators in Los Angeles County who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selected Licensed Childcare Centers received $40,000 and Family Childcare Homes received $15,000. For more information on the program and lottery results, click the button below.

LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund

Department of Arts and Culture
September 21, 2020 – September 27, 2020

The County Board of Supervisors approved $12M to go to the Department of Arts and Culture to provide grants to 337 Los Angeles County 501(c)(3) and fiscally sponsored nonprofit arts organizations suffering from business interruption due to COVID-19-related business closures. To maximize reach and efficiency, funds were distributed to nonprofit arts organizations that are recipients of the Department of Arts and Culture’s Organizational Grant Program (OGP), as well as other arts nonprofits that are grantees of local municipal arts agencies within the County. To promote equity, priority was given to organizations with an operating budget of $15M or less, in alignment with the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs’ small business definition. This ensured that small and mid-sized arts organizations, which are often in service of the County’s most vulnerable communities, were reached and supported.

LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund

Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and Los Angeles County Development Authority
September 21, 2020 – September 27, 2020

The Los Angeles Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund, a joint effort by the County of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles, and philanthropic partners, has already awarded $3.2 million in grants to more than 300 LA County microentrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits, was bolstered by an additional $60 million in CARES Act funding from the County of Los Angeles and an additional $40 million from City of Los Angeles. This will provide thousands of Los Angeles County businesses with awards ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.

To ensure equitable access to capital across various demographics throughout the region, grants will be distributed through an online weighted system. The public-private partnership will be administered by national community development financial institution partner, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). LISC will administer the grant process and work through local partners to reach businesses and nonprofits who may not have received Federal relief funds.
Recovery Fund programming was developed in partnership with LISC by the County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA), the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA), and the City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD). Local partners have joined the program to provide technical assistance to the County’s most vulnerable communities.

Workers participating in the gig economy, street vendors, sole proprietors, independent contractors, 1099 workers, and/or LLCs with revenues of $100,000 or less in the most recent available tax return (2018 or 2019).

Little Imaginations Child Care – Los Angeles, District 8

Little Imaginations Child Care provides family childcare so working parents have an affordable option to provide their children with an engaging environment while they are away from home. Although many are now working from home, these services are even more critical now that children are not able to attend in-person classes at school—so founder Rebecca Sumandal got creative and started hosting hiking trips as a socially distant alternative. However, the pandemic also brought a slew of issues as many parents were left unemployed or feared their children would get sick. As a result, Rebecca shut down twice, losing half of the children under her care and encountering financial challenges that led to layoffs. She has tried her best to stay open while she waits for things to return to normal, but running such a large daycare center comes with a plethora of bills that she just can’t afford under current conditions. The grant that Little Imaginations received from the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund was a godsend for Rebecca as it allowed her to catch up on her bills and take some of the stress off of her company and her family. This grant provided much-needed support to ensure that Little Imaginations can continue to operate so that children currently under her care—and those returning after the pandemic—receive the high quality child care Little Imaginations is known for.

Fitte-Jones Family Child Care – Unincorporated

The Fitte-Jones Family Child Care center has been in business since 2008, inspired by owner Antionette Fitte’s passion for creating a safe environment for children as a foster parent herself to three now-teenagers. The childcare facility nurtures, educates and provides nutritional meals in a safe environment for her kids. During the pandemic, Fitte saw less students coming to her child care center as parents were laid off and schools closed their doors. Unsure of what to do to supplement the loss of income, Fitte almost turned to food delivery just to make sure her business would be able to survive. With the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant, Fitte was given a new opportunity to refigure what services her care center would provide during COVID-19. When the school year started back up, many of the kids she cared for didn’t have access to the resources they needed for distance learning—so she used some of the money to upgrade the facility’s safety measures and adapt to distance learning with new technology and teaching mechanisms. These include upgrades to the teaching tools she uses, like laptops, flat screen monitors and desks. The grant funding also helped Fitte expand and modernize her care facilities to ensure that parents felt they could safely drop off their children in a friendly, comfortable space to do their school work. The Fitte-Jones Family Care center is now expanding a new play area as an improvement to the environment for her students for when the pandemic passes, as well as boosting marketing to attract more clients moving forward.

“It is a pivot and learning curve for me to run the technology, but I do it because I go the extra mile for my kids,” she said.

A & R Gifts General – South Los Angeles, District 9

A & R Gifts General is a small gift shop and botanical store, just a few miles south from the University of Southern California run by local Rosa Sanchez. Sanchez faced more than just her store closing as a result of the pandemic—she also tested positive for COVID-19, battling the illness without any source of income for four months. With the help of the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant, Sanchez was able to get back on her feet and pay the store’s rent and electricity bill. She is hoping that she will be able to use any additional funds left from her grant to acquire more inventory for her shop. The grant has been a tremendous help to A & R, she said, because it offered her a way to pay off bills that she was behind on. Through these unprecedented times, there has been a lot of uncertainty, including the gift shop’s four month closure.

“The grant has been such a blessing to my life and business. Without it, I would probably be struggling to get back on my feet,” says Sanchez.

AJA Printwear & Promotions – Azusa

Arthur Akouris started AJA Printwear and Promotions nine years ago as a screenprint and embroidery product broker. When he receives requests, he places orders to different embroiderers and printers and delivers the products back to the clients as a self-made entrepreneur. His business has long been successful—Akouris even had an optimistic quarter at the end of 2019. But with more customers staying at home amid local orders, Akouris found less and less requests for services. Between February and July, he applied to the Express Bridge Loan, the Paycheck Protection Program and the Small Business Administration Loan. One day, he came across the Los Angeles Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund Grant, thanks to the City of Azusa. Within 30 days of accepting the grant, Arthur received the funds he needed to pay off debts to vendors. Now, he plans to use the remaining amount towards mortgage payments, rent and utilities for AJA Printwear and Promotions. Now that businesses are starting to trickle back to normal as the county slowly reopens, Akouris hopes for more business in the remaining quarter of the year.

“The grant has helped me so very much. I applied and on the third round, I was chosen and awarded the grant,” Akouris said. “It was a very easy application and the experience was great regarding the process.”

Potters Printing – South Los Angeles, District 8

Jerold Potter I Contact: 323.753.9411 | potters_printing@yahoo.com

Potters Printing has been operating for 21 years—and for 16 of them, the small business has worked to inspire and educate incarcerated individuals by sending motivational books to prisons nationwide. The book program, which has now distributed 75,000 books to over 700 prisons, was inspired by owner Jerold Potter’s own experiences with the families of the incarcerated; some of the young boys in his bible courses at the California Youth Authority in Whittier would read letters to and from incarcerated family members aloud in class. Sales from Potters Printing has helped cover the costs of running this program, but when COVID-19 struck, the business was forced to close its doors and halt operations like many other small community businesses. Once they were finally able to reopen, Potter noted he saw orders drastically shift from business cards and menus to funeral pamphlets and obituaries, but even these sales were not enough to keep up with their usual sales. The grant Potter received from the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund has helped him purchase necessary equipment like printers and supplies and gain the storefront’s financial footing back.

“I went through the first two rounds of the Fund and won a grant the third time around,” Potter said. “I paid the machines down, bought inventory, and caught up on bills. We are not out of the woods, but the grant was a blessing to our business.”