LA County Pandemic Relief Information
The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) is gearing up to publicly launch and start outreach on several American Rescue Plan funded opportunities for small businesses and job seekers in LA County. They provided updates on two upcoming programs specifically: Pandemic Recovery Rapid Reemployment and Economic Opportunity Grants.
Pandemic Relief Rapid Reemployment
The Pandemic Relief Rapid Reemployment program connects small businesses and job seekers to immediate post-pandemic support including work readiness training, transitional employment opportunities, streamlined hiring and reduced payroll costs, and more. The program will provide services to 1200 individuals who are unemployed or underemployed due to COVID-19, and will target businesses in specific high-growth industry sectors.
Priority service will be provided to potential participants who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color), women, low-income, or public assistance recipients. Additionally, potential participants will be connected to a Career Pathways Advisor who will provide guidance and specialized help every step of the way.
Applications are live and can be accessed via the following links:
- Job Seekers can visit bit.ly/GetCareerReady.
- Businesses can visit bit.ly/HireLocalTalent.
Economic Opportunity Grants
The Economic Opportunity Grants (EOG) program streamlines access to financial relief and specialized technical assistance for small businesses, microentrepreneurs, and non-profits in LA County and consolidates five grant opportunities with over $60+ million available. While the application portal created by Lendistry is expected to launch early to mid-January, we are starting outreach with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and partners now to generate interest about the program and to help businesses and non-profits successfully prepare themselves for the application.
Businesses and non-profits can fill out an online interest form to help get the TA process started with SBDC and to be the first to know when the application opens in a few months. You can access the form via this link here: bit.ly/EOGrants
Additionally, DEO is partnering with Arts and LACDA to ensure businesses and non-profits have access to all potential grant opportunities through the various ARP and state programs in other LA County departments.
