Every week, Next republishes a piece by City Manager Oliver Chi from his newsletter.
Thanks to the funding support provided by the City Council, we’re excited to share that our Economic Development team recently announced the first recipients of the Small Business Relief Microgrant Program, which launched this fall as part of our Realignment Plan efforts to invest in our commercial corridors and promote economic opportunity across the City.
The program was designed to support locally owned businesses, strengthen their long-term sustainability, and encourage growth and expansion, and every brick-and-mortar business in Santa Monica with fewer than 50 employees and less than $3 million in annual gross revenue was eligible to apply.
The response we saw was overwhelming! A total of 129 businesses applied, and the program’s $100,000 budget provided $5,000 grants to 20 of them. Recipients can put the funds toward the practical investments that keep a small business competitive, such as technology and e-commerce upgrades, furniture and equipment, marketing, inventory, and professional services.
At the City, we recognized that a $5,000 grant is not a large sum on its own, but for a small and locally owned business, that amount can be the catalyst that funds a new point-of-sale system, a refreshed storefront, or a new marketing push heading into the holiday season. More importantly, we are hopeful that the funding provided signals to the broader community that the City is invested in the businesses that give our neighborhoods their character.
This is the first year that this program was offered, and it serves as one piece of a broader set of Realignment Plan economic development efforts, alongside our permitting and fee reforms, the Buy Local campaign, and our Downtown revitalization work. All of this work is aimed at achieving the same goal… making it easier to open, operate, and grow a business in Santa Monica.
Moving ahead, staff is working to develop options for continuing and possibly expanding the Small Business Relief Microgrant program as we move towards 2027. For more information, including the full list of grant recipients, please visit the program webpage here, or see the City’s announcement of program recipients online here!
