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Healthy Refrigeration Grant Program (Closes Mid-March)
The Healthy Refrigeration Grant is administered by the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). It seeks to provide businesses and food donation programs with FREE energy-efficient refrigerators for eligible businesses and organizations in low-income and low-food access areas. The goal of the program is to help increase the accessibility of fresh, nutritious foods in low food-access and/or low-income areas.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Be independently owned with 100 or fewer employees
- Make less than $16M in annual revenue
- Accept EBT/ SNAP/ CalFresh Benefits*
*This applies to businesses that sell food only, not a food bank or nonprofit that gives away food. If your business currently does not accept these forms of payment, you can apply for SNAP at the same time and still qualify for the refrigeration grant.
The grant program covers the cost of both display refrigeration equipment as well as equipment in the back of the business to help stock healthy foods to be prepared and sold, or to prepare food for display. There is no cap on equipment cost/grant requests and businesses can apply for more than one piece of equipment. CDFA classifies the following foods as “healthy” for the purposes of this program: vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, dairy products, minimally processed (including frozen, dried, smoked, fermented), and culturally appropriate foods grown in CA to the extent possible.
Special Conditions: refrigerators CANNOT be used for the sale of alcohol.
The California Green Business Network is an authorized partner of the CA Department of Food and Agriculture for the purposes of this grant program. CA Green Business Network will help businesses and organizations every step of the way! They will provide help with: the application, selecting the right equipment, connecting you to local produce and fresh food vendors, installation, advertising, and grant evaluation, they’ll even send you your first shipment of food (up to $250).
City of Salinas – Marketing & Technology Grant Program (Ongoing)
The Marketing & Technology Grant Program hosted by the City of Salinas is administered by the Community Development Department’s Economic Development Division. The program provides business owners with financial assistance in the form of a grant of up to $2,500 for business owners that want to improve their technology skills or promote their business in digital platforms.
Eligibility Criteria (Mobile street vendors are not eligible):
- Located in the Alisal Plan Area (Verify Here)
- Have a current City of Salinas Business License (Verify Here)
- Must have been in business for at least 6 months
- Have current business registration information (If applicable)
- Articles of Incorporation/ Organization & Statement of Information filed with CA Secretary of State (Verify Here)
- Fictitious Business Name Statement filed with the County of Monterey (Verify Here)
- Not have any pending City of Salinas code enforcement violations
The business owner must complete their training requirement with one of the training service providers approved by the City of Salinas. (View Full List)
Eligible Expense Categories:
Social Media Marketing Assistance
Financial Literacy Tech Assistance
Computer Literacy Tech Assistance
City-Wide Business Façade Improvement Grant (Ongoing)
The Business Façade Improvement Grant is administered by the City of Soledad’s Community Development Department. The program provides financial assistance (up to $25,000) to property owners and business owners to improve the exterior appearance of existing buildings and property. This is to help generate shopping and tourism by creating a pleasant walking environment via improvements in design, color schemes, and building façades.
Eligibility
Properties and businesses must be located within the following Commercial District areas:
- C-R: Commercial Residential District
- C-C: Community Residential District
- C-1: Retail Central Business District*
- C-2: General Commercial District
- H-C: Highway Commercial
*Priority will be given to the Downtown Commercial District (C-1).
**Owners of multiple businesses may apply for up to 2 business locations.
Improvements Covered:
Exterior painting and paint removal, replacement/repair of existing signs, replacement of windows and window frames, replacement/repair of doors and transoms, cosmetic improvements to window treatments (including but not limited to flower boxes, gingerbreads, fascia boards, and moldings), awnings, repairs to exterior surfaces, dormers, design enhancements and beautification, historical restoration, commercial outdoor dining area, commercial outdoor dining furniture sets or bistro sets.
California Microbusiness Covid-19 Relief Grant Program
The California Microbusiness Covid-19 Relief Grant Program is administered via a partnership between the Monterey County Workforce Development Board (MCWDB) and the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). MCWDB is the sole representative for the grant program in Monterey County. The grant seeks to support small businesses facing financial impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic in the form of financial assistance.
Eligibility:
- Made less than $50,000 in revenues in 2019
- Currently have 5 or less full-time employees and had 5 or less full time employees int he 2019 and 2020 taxable years
- Were established and in operation prior to December 31, 2019
- Owned, operated, and headquartered in Monterey County
- Are currently open or have a reopening plan
- Experienced a reduction of revenue of at least 10% or more from the 2019 and 2020 taxable years
- Did not receive a grant under the California Small Business Covid-19 Relief Grant Program
Childcare and Development Infrastructure Grant
The Childcare and Development Infrastructure Grant is administered by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). Many families in California do not have access to nurturing early learning environments due to a lack of childcare facilities in their neighborhood. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem. The purpose of the grant is to preserve, enhance, and expand child care and development and preschool opportunities for children up to five years of age by providing funds to renovate, repair, modernize, retrofit, or build new licensed child care centers and family child care homes (collectively referred to as “child care facilities”).
Eligibility:
- Child care facility serving children through an alternative payment program under WIC Chapter 3 (commencing with section 10225)
- Migrant child care and development program serving children under WIC Chapter 6 (starting with section 10235)
- Child care facility network serving children through a California state preschool program under Article 2 (commencing with section 8207) of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code
- Child care facility serving children through a general childcare and development program under WIC Chapter 7 9starting with section 10240)
- Family child care home education network serving children under WIC Chapter 8 (starting with section 10250)
- Child care and development services for children with special needs under WIC Chapter 9 (starting with section 10260)
- Child care facility serving children through a California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Stage 1, Stage 2, or Stage 3 program under WIC Chapter 21 (starting with section 10370)
- Child care facility serving children through the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children under WIC section 11464.6
Note: providers meeting the criteria above must meet an additional set of pre-requisites. For the full list of criteria, click here. (Pages 3 – 4)
California Venues Grant – Round 2
The California Venues Grant Program is administered by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. Lendistry is the sole entity designated as an intermediary of the California Venues Grant Program. The linked website is the ONLY approved website for the grant program. The purpose of the program is to support eligible independent live events venues that have been affected by Covid-19 in order to support their continued operation.
Businesses and non-profits can apply to receive up to $250,000 or 20% of the applicant’s gross revenue for the 2019 taxable year. The second round of funding has expanded the eligibility categories to include 5 new business types. There are also lower revenue loss requirements, now requiring loss greater than 30% of gross revenue compared to 70% previously.
For the purposes of this program, “eligible venue” means a venue with the following characteristics:
- A defined performance and audience space.
- Mixing equipment, a public address system, and a lighting rig.
- Engages one or more individuals to carry out not less than two of the following roles: A sound engineer, a booker, a promoter, a stage manager, security personnel, a box office manager
- Is one of the three highest revenue-grossing entities, locations, or franchises associated with the applicant.
- For a venue owned or operated by a nonprofit entity that produces free events, the events are produced and managed primarily by paid employees, not by volunteers.
