WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Wednesday, February 10, the city of West Hollywood opened applications for their Small Business Grants Program. The program can financially assist small businesses by funding them with $5,000 if their eligible and qualify for the grant. 

The West Hollywood Small Business Grant Program application period will be from 8 a.m. Wednesday, February 10 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 25, 2021 and is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Applicants will know of their status by the week of March 8, 2021. In order to meet the criteria for the grant, small businesses must meet the following: 

  • Business must be located in the City of West Hollywood, commences its operations prior to March 16,2020 and be in good standing. 
  • Business must be a brick-and-mortar business that has at least one physical location within the City of West Hollywood that has a customer can visit. 
  • Business has been impacted by Covid-19, via Health Officers Orders or otherwise. 
  • Business must not have received any Covid-19 funding from Federal, State, and County through December 31,2020. 
  • Business must have 50 or fewer full-time employees. 
  • Business must have $2.5 million or less in gross revenues over the previous four quarters based on available data at the time of application. 
  • Business has not received any OUT Zone infrastructure
  • Proof that business applied for Federal, State, or County Covid-19 relief funding after January 1, 2021. 

Once they meet the criteria, applicants are required to submit documents to receive the grant which include:

  • Completed Application
  • City of West Hollywood Business Tax Certificate 
  • IRS Form 941 documenting number of employees or other documentation showing employees as of December 2020. 
  • Financial statement or other documentation showing total gross revenues of previous four (4) quarters of available data. 
  • Awardees must complete the City of West Hollywood’s Grant Agreement 

According to a press release, the city of West Hollywood has financially supported local businesses impacted by COVID-19 through programs, such as the Outdoor Use Temporary (OUT) Zones program, which provided more than 60 local businesses permits to temporarily operate on outside spaces. For this grant program, the city has allocated $25,000 in general funds. 

There will be an informational webinar about the grant program on Thursday, January 11 at 10 a.m. via https://app.livestorm.co/city-of-west-hollywood/west-hollywood-small-business-grant-program. 

For more information on West Hollywood business community, people may subscribe  the city’s Covid-19 Business & Workforce weekly email at https://mailchi.mp/cc0157142fef/register-covid-19-business-labor-newsletter.

To register and apply for the grant, West Hollywood business may apply at www.weho.org/business.