The Lodi City Council approved a new Small Business Assistance program during a special meeting on December 22, 2020. The meeting took place at 9:00am, which would normally have been a “shirt-sleeve” session, and was live streamed on the Lodi City Hall Facebook page.
The money for this new program comes from a portion of the Community Development Block Grant – Cares Act (CDBG-CV HUD) funds. Congress provided $5 billion to states, metropolitan cities, urban counties, and insular areas earlier last year.
The Small Business Assistance program provides a one-time grant between $2,500 – $10,000 to eligible small businesses and non-profits that need help in paying their lease / rent / mortgage or utilities in delinquency, purchasing supplies and materials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., sanitizer, cleaning supplies, masks, Plexiglas, etc.), and covering costs for complying with public health orders. The money received from this grant must be used for the outlined purposes to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small businesses and non-profits must submit all required documentation including completed application to the City of Lodi by January 15, 2021 at 5:00pm. Application instructions and guidelines can be found at the following website: http://lodi.gov/1021/CDBG-CV-Small-Business-Assistance
The requirements for eligible organizations are outlined below:
- Be a business or non-profit organization
- Be physically located within City Limits
- Possess a valid City of Lodi Business license as of date of application
- Be located in a commercial, industrial, or mixed-use location, except for childcare or social service providers
- Employ no more than 25 full-time equivalent employees
However, an organization will be ineligible for this small business assistance grant if they meet any of the following requirements:
- Organizations that do not have a valid City of Lodi business license
- Organizations related to marijuana dispensaries and manufacturing, and any business or activity that does not comply with local, state, or federal laws
- Organizations owned by persons who in the last five years, for any felony, have been convicted, pleaded guilty, pleaded no contest, been placed on pretrial diversion, or been placed on any form of parole or probation (including probation before judgment)
- Organizations with owners who have ever obtained a direct or guaranteed loan from Small Business Assistance or any other federal agency that is currently delinquent or has defaulted in the last seven years and caused a loss to the government
If the number of applications exceeds the amount of available funding, the City of Lodi will prioritize applications from organizations that meet the following requirements:
- Are more likely to sustain operations for at least one year after submitting an application
- Are implementing a mitigation plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among employees and customers/clients
- Have been in operation for a sustained period of time (10 years or longer)
- Employ a larger number of people (up to 25 full-time employees)
Eligible organizations will be awarded the grant by the end of the month. If you think your business qualifies, or if you would like more information, the City of Lodi has instructed organizations to contact Tanner Wolverton via phone at (915) 517-4441 or via email at LodiSBA@mbakerintl.com
Over the past ten months, the City of Lodi has helped small businesses by participating in the Great Plates Program, provided fire and community development inspections to expand services outdoors at no cost, and provided encroachment permits at no cost to small businesses that offer curbside pickup as a response to COVID-19.
Additionally, San Joaquin County provides their own small business assistance program with a maximum grant of $25,000, a family COVID assistance program with a maximum grant of $5,000, and personal protective equipment program that provides supplies to small businesses and non-profits. More info for SJ County Grants can be found here.
