Small businesses in Long Beach can now apply for assistance with their commercial property rent, through the city’s Commercial Rental Assistance Grant program.

The program is designed to help businesses that “lost revenue as a result of COVID-19 and State and Local Health Orders that restricted business operations,” according to a statement from the City of Long Beach.

The application period for the program opens at noon on Friday, June 11 and closes Thursday, July 22 at 5 p.m. Interested potential applicants can visit the Commercial Rental Assistance Grant webpage and submit an application and all required documentation after reviewing eligibility requirements.

To be eligible, businesses must:

• Be a for-profit business with Long Beach as its location of business.
• Have a Long Beach business license.
• Have 50 or fewer full-time employees.
• Have experienced financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and State and local Health Orders.
• Have a physical location with a current, active commercial lease.
• Be in a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) area.
• Be in compliance with local Health Orders.
• Not be permanently closed.

The applicants must provide the following documentation with their application:

• Current commercial lease/rental agreement.
• Landlord contact information.
• W-9; Request for Taxpayer ID number and certification.
• Copy of photo ID.

If a business is approved for a grant, the payments will be made directly to the tenant of the commercial space to help cover the lease payments.

The awards will not include property tax or utility payments – just the “cost of rent and any applicable charges due under a commercial lease.”

The program includes about $1.5 million overall, with grants totaling $4,000 available. The money comes from the third round of emergency grant funds from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG CV-3) allocations.

Free help on the applications will also be available for businesses at the City of Long Beach’s BizCare pop-ups, which operate at the following locations and on the following hours:

• Mondays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Admiral Kidd Park, 2125 Santa Fe Ave.
• Tuesdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Admiral Kidd Park; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, 5870 Atlantic Ave.
• Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library and Mark Twain Neighborhood Library, 1401 E. Anaheim St.
• Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mark Twain Neighborhood Library

“Small businesses are still recovering from the pandemic and many need more assistance on the road to recovery,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This program helps bridge the rent for so many of our mom-and-pop businesses.” 

Interested small business owners can apply for grants here.