Program video conference workshop on applying for eligibility

Over the last two years, Mendocino County was awarded $2.7 million from the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions to allocate directly to qualified equity applicants. The state Cannabis Equity Grants Program is being administered by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GOBiz). The Mendocino County Cannabis Equity Grant Program has been supported by the Board of Supervisors who have committed $105,000, in matching grant funds. The program has been designed to provide funding and services for those hardest hit by the War on Drugs by lowering barriers to cannabis permitting and licensing.

To qualify for Cannabis Equity Grant funding, interested applicants must demonstrate eligibility by completing an Equity Eligibility Application which has been open since Feb. 5, 2021, and can be found HERE. Those who apply and can demonstrate they meet the requirements of the program will receive the Mendocino County Local Equity Entrepreneur Program (LEEP) designation and Equity Applicant identification number which will enable them to apply for grant funding and services beginning in late April.

Kristin Nevedal, the Manager of the Mendocino County Cannabis Program, and the LEEP program-administrator, Elevate Impact Mendocino, will co-host two video conferences to provide an overview of the LEEP application process and to answer any questions about the program. Participants are encouraged to register early by emailing their name and any questions to: CannabisEquity@mendocinocounty.org Please be sure to add the word REGISTER to the email subject line, and note which workshop you’d like to attend, April 14, or April 28.

The details for the workshop are as follows:

When: April 14, 2021 & April 28, 2021, 02:30 — 4 p.m. Pacific Time (US and Canada) Topic: LEEP Application Workshop and Question & Answer Session

Upon registering at CannabisEquity@mendocinocounty.org you will receive an email with workshop login information. The workshops will cover steps to become an Equity Eligible Applicant and Eligibility Requirements in greater detail. Below is a summary of the workshop agendas:

Steps to become an Equity Eligible Applicant:

Check to see if you meet the eligibility criteria by visiting our website (www.elevateimpactmendo.com) and reviewing the application requirements. (The criteria is also listed below)

Get designated as an Equity Applicant by submitting an Equity Eligibility Application now. Visit our website for more details on how to apply online.

Equity Eligibility Applicants will be notified if they meet the criteria and receive an Equity Applicant identification number. Equity verified applicants will be able to apply for grant funding beginning in late April in three categories: County Fee Waivers, Direct Technical Assistance in Business Development or Cannabis Cooperative Education, and Direct Grants.

For more information please see our website: https:// www.mendocino-county.org/government/planning-building-services/ cannabis- cultivation/cannabis- equity-grant

Mendocino County Cannabis Equity Applicant Eligibility Requirements:

You must be eligible for a cannabis related application, permit and/or license to operate a cannabis business in the unincorporated areas of Mendocino County whose activities are specific to cultivation, nurseries, processing, manufacturing, laboratory analysis, distribution or retail of cannabis.

Have a household income as defined as “very low income” or “extremely low income” for Mendocino County in the 2020 State Income Limits produced by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

And you must meet one of the following equity conditions:

Have lived within a 5-mile radius of the location of raids conducted by the Campaign against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) program.

Have a parent, sibling or child who was arrested for or convicted of the sale, possession, use, manufacture or cultivation of cannabis (including as a juvenile).

Any individual who has obtained or applied for a cannabis permit in Mendocino County, or who has worked in or currently works in the cannabis industry, and was arrested and/or convicted of a nonviolent cannabis-related offense, or was subject to asset forfeiture arising from a cannabis-related event.

Is a person who experienced sexual assault, exploitation, domestic violence, and/or human trafficking while participating in the cannabis industry.

Have become homeless or suffered a loss of housing as a result of cannabis enforcement. To apply for the LEEP program immediately, go to https://eleva-teimpactmendo.com/apply-now/ For eligibility related questions please email CannabisEquity@mendocinocounty.org