San Leandro Helps More Struggling Businesses

SAN LEANDRO, CA – The City of San Leandro is providing $400,000 in additional grants to San Leandro businesses that applied to the Alameda County CARES Grant Program.

The City Council voted unanimously last month to allocate $400,000 in general fund reserves to help suffering businesses. These funds will be awarded to businesses who previously applied to the Alameda County CARES Grant Program, but did not receive a grant.

Eighty businesses will receive $5,000 grants.

The grants are in addition to the $150,000 allocation the City contributed towards the Alameda County CARES Grant Program in December, which was matched by the County to provide $300,000 in earmarked funds to San Leandro businesses.

Additionally, through the county grant program, San Leandro businesses were eligible to receive grants from the $5 million available for businesses across the county.

Between all sources, 276 of the approximately 700 San Leandro businesses who applied to the county program will receive assistance.

Including this effort, the City of San Leandro facilitated the disbursement of $1,000,000 in cash injections to San Leandro businesses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the San Leandro Small Business Continuity Grant, the City also distributed $300,000 in $5,000 grant allocations in May 2020.

The Alameda County CARES grant prioritizes grants for small, local, and emerging businesses within Alameda County to assist with the costs of business interruption caused by COVID-19. The funds may only be used for unreimbursed costs from March 17, 2020, for rent/lease/mortgage and utility payments, payroll, operating expenses, personal protective equipment, sanitation equipment, and interior and exterior physical adaptations.

The new grants will be awarded by lottery. Awardees will be notified via mail in the coming weeks.