The State of California has announced a grant program called the “California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program.”
It is for small businesses and nonprofit orgs, however veterans’ 501-c-19 nonprofits orgs are not eligible. We have reached out to the Governor’s office and the state agency that is administering the program asking why veterans orgs have been left out of the program. We have also reached out to the veterans committees at the Capitol as well as other legislative leaders asking for help on this issue.
We recommend that vet posts and chapters apply anyway when the application process opens on Wednesday. The deadline for the first round is Jan. 8. There will be a second round after that and it would not hurt to get in line. Also, some vet orgs also have a 501-c-3, which is eligible for this program. Also, small veterans’ owned businesses could also benefit from this grant funding because the program is open to many types of small businesses.
Deadlines for Round 1
- Application Opens December 30, 2020 at 6:00 AM PST
- Application Closes January 8, 2021 at 11:59 PM PST
- Start of Approval Notifications January 13, 2021
For more info on the program: California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. https://careliefgrant.com/
Author: Seth Reeb
Seth Reeb of Reeb Government Relations is veterans legislative advocate for the American Legion Department of California and a member of El Dorado Post 119.