City of San Bernardino Awards Over $2.5 Million
to 105 Local Small Businesses and Non-Profits
A second round of funding will be available early next year.
The City of San Bernardino has awarded $2,575,000 in grants to 105 local small businesses and non-profits as part of a grant program to support organizations impacted by the pandemic. Individual grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to as much as $35,000.
A total of 87 local small businesses and 18 non-profit organizations received grants.
“The City Council and I recognize the vital role our local small businesses and non-profits play in San Bernardino,” said San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran. “They are our local employers, our service providers, our shops, and our restaurants. Their success is our success.”
The City Council allocated $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to create the Small Business and Non-Profit Training and Grant Program in partnership with the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center. Small businesses and non-profits located in the City of San Bernardino were eligible to apply for the grants.
Funds were awarded on a first come, first served basis to eligible San Bernardino based organizations that completed an online application, participated in an SBDC training program focusing on growing or sustaining their business, and took part in a one-on-one consultation session with an SBDC consultant.
“The workshops were invaluable,” said Jorge Heredia of the Garcia Center for the Arts. “With the $35,000 we received, we are excited to sustain and sponsor art programs at the Garcia Center for the Arts, offering a creative outlet for individuals of all ages, fostering self-expression and personal growth.”
Grant funds could be used for working capital to cover the day-to-day business operating expenses such as rent/lease payments, mortgage payments, payroll and benefit costs, utility expenses, inventory, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) or other similar expenses that occur in the normal course of operations.
“Knowing that we are able to help each of the recipients recover from setbacks caused by the pandemic is rewarding,” said San Bernardino Economic Development Manager Amanda Hernandez.
Grant recipients were grateful for the business training in addition to receiving the funds.
“We are really excited to receive $35,000 and plan on using those funds to upgrade our equipment and ramping up our staff,” said Russell Hilbig of Geri’s Screen Printing. “We look forward to increasing our revenue for 2023 and 2024. We have been operating since 1976 and are happy to continue serving San Bernardino.”
Elmer Ray of A/C Man, a $10,000 grant recipient, added, “I want to express our heartfelt appreciation for the support the City of San Bernardino shown us. We are genuinely grateful for the opportunities San Bernardino is helping to create for businesses like A/C Man.
Approximately $425,000 remains to be awarded. City officials stated that those funds will be used in a second round of grants, to be made available early in 2024. It is anticipated that the second round of grants will be targeted to smaller businesses in San Bernardino.
Click on "View the PDF" below to read the press release.
