Announcing $1.375 Million in Small Business Grants in Oakland

Written By Natalya Blumenfeld

The City of Oakland and Working Solutions have announced the disbursement of $1.375 million in COVID-19 relief grants to 275 low-income small business owners in Oakland. The Oakland Small Business Emergency Grant Program was made possible by the Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund, Union Bank, and many generous individual donors. 

The grants were made in three rounds beginning in April and ending this week. All 275 grants went to low-income business owners, earning 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) or less. Other characteristics of the grantees:

  • 75% of the business owners are extremely low-income, making less than 30% of AMI

  • 20% of the business owners are very low-income, making less than 50% of AMI

  • 85% of the businesses are owned by people of color

  • 60% of the businesses are owned by women

  • 85% of the businesses generate less than $250,000 in annual revenue

  • 15% of the grants went to business owners applying in Spanish, Vietnamese, or Chinese

  • 89% of the businesses rent their space

The press release below (also accessible at this link) includes a detailed demographic and geographic breakdown of the grant recipients and selected quotes from grant recipients about what this funding means for their businesses. 

Media Coverage:

Natalya Blumenfeld https://www.workingsolutions.org
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