Eligible restaurants can get certain business license taxes and fees covered under a new grant from the City of Long Beach. Applications opened Monday and will close on Monday, Aug. 30 at 5 p.m.
“Long Beach is committed to supporting our local independent restaurants that have been impacted by the pandemic,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “These grants will provide much-needed financial support to help our city’s restaurants recover from this economic crisis.”
The City of Long Beach will cover costs for full-service independently-owned restaurants between Jan. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020 for the following taxes and fees: business license taxes, parking and business improvement area assessments, health permit fees, fire permit fees, and penalty or late fees incurred during the set time frame for the above taxes and fees.
Approximately $1.3 million has been allocated to the Business License and Tax Fee Grant program. The maximum grant per restaurant will depend on taxes and fees incurred during the eligible period. Business owners with multiple restaurants can qualify for more than one grant, but secondary grants will depend on available funding.
Eligibility requirements for the Business License Tax and Fee Grant are as follows:
- Must have experienced financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and state, regional and local health orders
- Must have a City of Long Beach business license from the 2020 calendar year
- Must be a full-service, independently-owned restaurant
- Must not be in bankruptcy or permanently closed at the time of application
Prospective applicants can visit the City’s Small Business Grant Programs webpage for more information.
The City will also hold a number of free in-person BizCare pop-ups to help business owners complete grant applications. Multilingual assistance will be available.
The pop-ups will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following weekdays:
- Mondays at Admiral Kidd Park (2125 Santa Fe Ave.)
- Tuesdays at Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.)
- Wednesdays at Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.)
- Wednesdays at The Corner Pop-up (2640 Anaheim St.)
- Thursdays at Mark Twain Neighborhood Library (1401 E. Anaheim St.)
