The application period for this grant is now open until 11:59pm (PST) on December 8, 2025.


The Microenterprise Recovery Grant will provide grants of up to $15,000 to eligible microenterprises located in the City of Los Angeles that need financial assistance to aid in their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant is funded by Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG-CV) funding allocated to the City to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19.

Grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to eligible businesses, prioritizing businesses that have yet to receive assistance through any City, State or Federal program. Funds can be used for operating expenses, including but not limited to payroll, lease payments, insurance, and inventory.

Applicants must submit complete applications before the deadline and provide documentation confirming that they meet the eligibility requirements, terms, and conditions. Applicants must explain how the grant funds will be used toward necessary COVID-19 recovery business expenses and make available documentation demonstrating that the grant funds were used toward those expenses.

15K
$15,000 grant awards for eligible microenterprises that have W-2 employees and need assistance with payroll expenses
10K
$10,000 grant awards for eligible microenterprises that do not have W-2 employees



Funding Priority


Grant recipients will be selected based on the availability of funds, program guidelines, submission of all required information, and supporting documentation. If requests exceed the available funding, precedence will be given during the grant allocation process to qualified applicants who meet the following criteria:

  • The business has not received any other financial assistance from federal, state, or local sources
  • The business is located in a CDBG census tract
  • Businesses with W-2 employees
  • Businesses located in commercial "brick and mortar" locations
  • The family income for the business owner is below 80% AMI prior to COVID-19, based on the previous year's tax returns


Grant Eligibility


To be eligible to apply for the Microenterprise Grant Program, a business must demonstrate the need for financial support due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.


  • Ineligible Businesses
    Ineligible Businesses
    If you are not sure if your business is eligible or ineligible, please contact EWDD for assistance. Examples of ineligible business include, but are not limited to:

    • Business/Owner that has previously received a grant award from this program
    • Nonprofit organizations
    • Businesses that were not in operation and were not located in the City of Los Angeles on or prior to March 1, 2020
    • Rideshare/Food delivery businesses (ex: Uber, UberEats, Lyft, Doordash, etc.)
    • Landlords/Schedule E Passive Income
    • Businesses or companies held in trust
    • Businesses that do not have a physical location using P.O. Boxes as a business address
    • Businesses engaged in illegal activities, such as selling drug paraphernalia or operating a motel that permits illegal prostitution
    • Cannabis businesses or businesses that support cannabis businesses
    • Corporate-owned franchises (a corporation is responsible for operations, profit and loss, business decisions and quality control; corporate hires and oversees all store staff)
    • Publicly traded companies
    • Private social clubs that limit the number of memberships for reasons other than capacity
    • Payday loan stores, pawnshops and other firms involved in lending activities, such as banks, finance companies and any other firm whose stock in trade is money
    • Insurance companies, such as life, auto, home, bail bonds and other similar entities
    • Astrology, palm reading, tarot, etc.
    • Liquor stores and smoke shops
    • Night clubs
    • Adult bookstores
    • Businesses and Sole proprietors that provide massage services
    • Businesses that present live performances of a prurient sexual nature and/or derive revenue through the sale of products or services of a prurient sexual nature
    • Gambling businesses (i.e., track waging facilities, casinos, bingo parlors)
    • Trailer-storage yards and junkyards
    • Gun or ammunition stores
    • Multi-sales distribution
    • Firms involved in speculative activities (i.e., day trading, stock market exchange facilitators)
    • Dealers of rare coins and stamps
    • Lobbying firms or businesses that dedicate 50% or more of their time or resources to lobbying activities
    • Churches or other religious organizations
    • Government offices or agencies
    • Real Estate Agent
  • Eligible Businesses
    Eligible Businesses

    • The business must fall under an eligible business type/Industry. Please refer to the “INELIGIBLE BUSINESSES” tab to determine if your business is eligible.

    • The business must be a for-profit business located within Los Angeles city limits. Home-based businesses are eligible if the owner is a Los Angeles resident; however, priority will be given to businesses operating from commercial locations.

    • Annual revenue cannot exceed $1 million.

    • The business must have an active Business Tax Registration Certificate (BTRC) with the City of Los Angeles that is current and in good standing.

    • The business has been legally operating in the City of Los Angeles on or before March 1, 2020.

    • The business must have five (5) or fewer W2 employees on their payroll, including the owner(s).

    • The business must demonstrate that the grant funds will be used for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • The business must disclose whether they have received funding from other federal, state, or local sources (including PPP and EIDL). Applicants who have received funding are still eligible, provided the funds are not currently being spent on the same expenses covered by the Microenterprise Grant.

    • The business has not previously been awarded a grant through this program.

    • If applicable, the business must be in good standing with the Secretary of State.

    • Grant funds must help create or retain at least one job held by or made available to low and moderate-income persons, as defined by HUD. The current income limits are provided in the table below.

      FY 2025 Low to Moderate Income Limits (80% AMI) by Family Size
      1-person 2-person 3-person 4-person 5-person 6-person 7-person 8-person
      $84,850 $96,950 $109,050 $121,150 $130,850 $140,550 $150,250 $159,950
  • Funding
    Approved Funding Usage

    The grant may be used for working capital. Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:
    • Payroll
    • Rent or lease payments
    • Utilities
    • Insurance
    • Payment of outstanding business expenses
    • Adaptive business practices needed in response to the pandemic
    • Technology and digital commerce expenses
    • Marketing/communication, or other similar expenses

    Ineligible Expenses
    The following is a list of business expenses that the Grant does not cover. This is not an exhaustive list. If an applicant is not sure if the intended use of funds is eligible, the applicant must contact EWDD’s staff for assistance.
    • Taxes (business, personal income, property, etc.)
    • Construction and tenant improvements
    • Business or Personal Credit Card Debt
    • Judgements, Collections or Liens
    • Personal use of any kind
  • Documentation
    Documentation Requirements


    Eligibility
    EWDD’s staff will provide technical assistance to applicants selected for funding to collect all required documentation. The documentation will be used to verify the businesses meet program eligibility requirements, terms and conditions as provided in these guidelines.

    Complete applications must include:
    • 2020 and 2024 tax returns
    • Payroll tax form to verify microenterprise status
    • Copy of government-issued identification such as a Driver's License or Passport
    • Most recent Business bank statement (personal bank statement is not acceptable)
    Additional documents may be requested if necessary to verify the business meets program eligibility requirements, terms and conditions, such as but not limited to pandemic financial impact documents, 4506 form, legal structure documents, etc.

    Funding
    Upon grant approval and prior to funds disbursement, successful applicants will be required to submit funding documents, including:
    • Executed Grant Agreement
    • Budget specifying the use of grant funds
    • Completed and signed W-9 form
    • Business Bank Information (ex: voided Business account check, wire instructions)
    • Job retention forms

    Compliance
    Grant recipients will be required to submit the following documents to verify compliance with program requirements:
    • Job creation forms
    • Compliance certification
    Grant recipients will also be required to maintain grant funds expenditure records for five (5) years, which must be made available to the City or HUD upon request.



Frequently Asked Questions


The Microenterprise Recovery Grants will be awarded to eligible businesses, prioritizing those that have not yet received assistance through any City, State or Federal program. The following Q&As answer the most common questions about the program.


  • If I have multiple businesses, can I apply for each business?
    In order to ensure that these grant funds reach as many business owners as possible, we will only be considering one application from owners of multiple businesses at this time.

  • Will I be eligible for a Round 3 award if I received a Round 1 or Round 2 award?
    Applicants are only eligible for one funding award. If your business has already received an award in either Rounds 1 or 2, you are not eligible to apply for Round 3.

  • If I applied and was selected as a finalist in a previous round, can I apply again?
    Yes, as long as your business was not awarded through this grant program in the previous rounds. We do not allow MRGP grant recipients to re-submit in another round.

  • I applied in a round, how do I find out the status of my application?
    Finalists will be notified 10 days after a round closes. Those that are not selected as finalists will not be notified, as they will remain eligible for future rounds(if/when new funding becomes available).

  • Will there be additional documentation required?
    If your business is selected as a finalist, you will be notified via email. Being selected as a finalist does not guarantee a grant will be awarded. Additional documentation will be required as a finalist, including a W-9 Form that asks for a Social Security Number OR business Tax ID number.

  • Why do you need a voided check?
    If you are selected to receive a grant, you will be required to provide a voided check to verify your business account information to enable the City to transfer the grant funds to the proper account.

  • What are eligible expenses?
    Grantee must use the grant funds for eligible operational expenditures related to the COVID-19 pandemic that were incurred after March 3, 2021. For a more comprehensive list, please refer to the ELIGIBLE EXPENSES tab under the Grant Eligibility section. Examples of eligible expenses include:
    • Wages and benefits of employees, including that of the applicant (provided those costs were not paid for by either a PPP loan or other federal, state or local COVID-related assistance)
    • Rent
    • Utilities
    • Payments to vendors, including outstanding obligations, and other immediate operational costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Other operational expenditures, provided the expenditures were incurred and related to COVID-19
  • What are ineligible expenses?
    Some examples of ineligible expenses are listed below. For a more comprehensive list, please refer to the INELIGIBLE EXPENSES tab under the Grant Eligibility section.
    • Any personal uses
    • Any costs for business interruptions or business closures covered by any previous small business grant funds provided by the City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, State and/or Federal Programs
    • Costs or uses to carry on propaganda, to attempt to influence legislation, or to participate in, intervene in, or attempt to influence the outcome of political campaigns or elections
    • Damages covered by insurance
    • Reimbursement to donors for donated items or services
    • Workforce bonuses other than hazard pay or overtime
    • Severance pay
    • Legal settlements
    • Property Taxes
    • Any additional use that is deemed by the U.S. Department of Treasury to be ineligible
  • Could the money be used for property taxes owed from 2020 to present?
    Because the funds were made available by the U.S. Department of Treasury to state and local governments, Treasury guidance indicates they should not be used as a source of revenue replacement. For this reason, the Treasury guidance provides that grant funds should not be used for tax payments.

  • Will my business be responsible to pay taxes on the grant funds received?
    The City will send out a 1099 to each grant recipient. Please reach out to your Tax Preparer/CPA (if or when applicable) and determine if your business will incur any tax obligations. The Grant recipient is responsible to submit the 1099 to the IRS along with their tax return.



Application & Program Administration


Step 1: Apply

The Microenterprise Recovery Grant application portal is NOW OPEN for Round 3 applications. The deadline to apply is 11:59pm (PST) on December 8, 2025.

MICROENTERPRISE RECOVERY GRANT APPLICATION PORTAL

Applicants must self-certify that all funds will be used for expenses permitted under this program and that there is no duplication of benefits. Additional documentation will be required for the selected qualified applicants. Applications will be open for two weeks and prioritized until funds expire. The application deadline may be extended if an insufficient number of applications is received by December 8, 2025.


Step 2: Application Review

City of Los Angeles staff will review and prioritize the applications. If the number of qualifying applications received exceeds the amount of grant monies available, staff will use a randomized-selection system to select and rank the applications using funding priorities listed above.


Step 3: Contact Selected Applicants

Selected applicants will be contacted by EWDD’s staff to collect and upload the required documentation. The applicant will be given two weeks to provide the requested documentation. Please refer to the “DOCUMENTATION” tab under Grant Eligibility. If documents are not received by the end of the two-week period, the applicant will be disqualified and their application will be withdrawn.


Step 4: Administrative Approval

EWDD will review all completed applications with required documentation and notify the applicant of the result of their application.


Step 5: Grant Agreement

Successful applicants must sign a Program agreement acknowledging the terms and conditions of their participation before funds are disbursed.


Step 6: Funding

Prior to fund disbursements, successful applicants must also provide a completed and signed W-9 and business bank account information where funds will be deposited. Please refer to the “FUNDING” tab under Grant Eligibility.


Step 7: Compliance Follow-Up

Grant recipients will be required to provide information to the City on how the grant money was spent and its impact on their businesses.



Technical Assistance


Contact EWDD for questions regarding the application process, eligibility, submissions and any other concerns at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..




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