Wells Fargo Invests $250,000 Into New York City Small Business Grant Program


Neighborhood Business Grants

Neighborhood businesses make a huge impact on the economies of cities like New York and Los Angeles. But many of these businesses are struggling due to the pandemic, worker shortages, and supply chain issues. To combat these problems, many cities and counties are offering small business grant programs. Here are opportunities in several cities, from Savannah to Peoria.

CitizensNYC Neighborhood Business Grant Program

Citizens Committee for New York City (CitizensNYC) and Wells Fargo are partnering on a new round of small business grant funding. Wells Fargo is investing $250,000 into the CitizensNYC Neighborhood Business Grant program, which provides micro-grants of up to $10,000 to the city’s small businesses. The program prioritizes companies owned by people of color, immigrants, and women. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until summer.

Los Angeles Small Business Rental Assistance Program

The City of Los Angeles Small Business Rental Assistance Program is offering grants of up to $15,000 to eligible city businesses. To qualify for assistance, businesses must have a brick-and-mortar storefront within L.A. city limits and earn less than $5 million in annual revenue. Businesses must also have experienced pandemic-related hardship and demonstrate that funds will be used for recovery efforts. The deadline to apply is May 6. So businesses interested in this program should submit an application right away.

Savannah Small Business Recovery Grant

Savannah’s Small Business Recovery Program supports local small businesses impacted by the pandemic. Funded through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, eligible businesses with fewer than ten employees can apply for grants up to $10,000. Applications are available now at the Pennsylvania Avenue Resource Center, Savannah Entrepreneurial Center, and Moses Jackson Advancement Center.

Peoria RISE

Peoria, Illinois’ RISE grant program stands for Recovery, Income, Startup, Expansion. Businesses that faced adversity due to the pandemic can apply for up to $50,000 in funding. Grant applications can relate to the four categories included in the program’s name – recovery, income, startup, and expansion. So eligible uses can include things like opening a new storefront or expanding to a new location. June 10 is the deadline to apply for funding online.

Elk County Aid to Small Businesses Grants Program

Elk County, Pennsylvania is making American Rescue Plan Act funds available to local small businesses through a new grant program. The Aid to Small Businesses Grants Program supports businesses negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. These dollars are specifically reserved for the community’s smallest businesses, including those with five or fewer employees. Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000. Applications should be submitted to the Commissioner’s Office by June 15.

Banning ARPA Grants

Banning, California is setting aside $350,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act funds for a small business grant program. To qualify, businesses must be physically located in Banning, have 25 or fewer employees, and be in operation for at least six months. Grants may cover operational expenses, website development, labor, inventory, or new capital purchases. The city originally wanted to earmark funds for storefront improvements. But businesses must meet the qualifications laid out by the federal government. City officials are still working out the details of the program. But applications are expected to become available shortly.

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Annie Pilon Annie Pilon is a Senior Staff Writer for Small Business Trends, covering entrepreneur profiles, interviews, feature stories, community news and in-depth, expert-based guides. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer.

One Reaction
  1. Christopher Lee Laughman

    How about the SBA and the way they fumbled this whole funding for small businesses. I waited for almost a year, still have approval documents and I signed loan documents but never got funding. I think I have 500 emails plus,