City’s relief grant program now accepting applications

Santa Clarita businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic can now apply for grants of up to $5,000 each through a relief grant program City Council members unanimously approved Tuesday.

“The grant program will provide local small businesses a onetime financial reimbursement for expenses incurred from business interruption due to COVID-19 impacts,” read a city news release issued Wednesday.

Those eligible must have 100 employees or less and must have made expenses related to the COVID-19 crisis from March 1 through Dec. 30, with receipts provided to the city. Expenses can include personal protective equipment, cleaning and sanitizing products, health screening services and other adaptive business services.

Based on the criteria, interested businesses have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. to apply via bit.ly/SCVreliefgrant.

Those who qualify will be selected in a random lottery on Oct. 29, according to city officials.

The program is expected to provide a total of $500,000 in grants from the $2.74 million the city allocated from federal coronavirus relief dollars.

Using the same criteria and in partnering with the city on the program, the SCV Economic Development Corp. agreed to offer one-time financial reimbursements to eligible businesses located within the city and in unincorporated areas.

“This is about protecting the public through the businesses that they visit,” Holly Schroeder, CEO and president of the SCVEDC, said Tuesday during public comment. “Businesses have purchased cleaning supplies, Plexiglas dividers, equipment for outdoor operations, adjustments to air ventilation and filtration systems, and they’re doing this to ensure that their employees, their customers and vendors are safe and healthy.”

Los Angeles County is also offering a countywide revitalization grant program to provide affected businesses $30,000 for employee payroll and adaptive practices. Applications are being accepted for one week, ending Friday, with a lottery broadcast Tuesday via revitalizationgrant.lacda.org.