$266,000 Awarded to Small Businesses

Release Date: 2024-09-19

The Level Up LB: Extreme Small Business Makeover and Grant Program connects entrepreneurs with essential business support and resources to help their small business grow and thrive. Participating entrepreneurs have completed a series of workshops, received personalized business counseling, and established comprehensive business plans over the course of the three-month Program.

Awarded businesses include a mix of restaurants, retail shops, and health and wellness facilities citywide. Twenty-five small businesses have been awarded $10,000 in grant funding. Businesses also received a one-year membership to the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and a marketing package from Visit Long Beach. Additionally, four more businesses that were selected as alternates and successfully completed the Program were each awarded $4,000 grants.

The Department received 183 applications for the Program, of which 95 qualified for review by a selection panel, and 25 were selected to participate. Businesses were scored and selected for their need and readiness to participate, the potential impact of the Program to their business, and diversity of representation across all parts of the city and multiple industries.

As part of the recently adopted Fiscal Year 2025 Budget, the Long Beach City Council approved a one-time funding of $500,000 to support business improvement districts and small businesses, including continuation of Level Up LB in 2025. Applications for the second cohort are expected to open early next year.

For more information, read the City’s press release.