PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – During its Tuesday, March 4, 2025, meeting, the Long Beach City Council approved with a 9 to 0 vote an additional $250,000 in grant funding for the Visual Improvement Program (VIP). Facilitated by the Long Beach Economic Development Department, the VIP provides direct financial assistance to local businesses impacted by crime and vandalism.

“Long Beach’s small business community is at the heart of our ongoing economic growth and vitality, and the City remains dedicated to supporting and uplifting local entrepreneurs and businesses,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “With this expanded grant opportunity, the City continues to provide critical support to help businesses recover, improve their properties and keep our commercial corridors vibrant.”

Eligible businesses can receive $1,500 to cover storefront repairs, boarding costs, insurance deductibles and business operating expenses. The VIP was first announced in January 2023, with $350,000 in funding from the Long Beach Recovery Act, to help ease the burden of property crimes and vandalism citywide. The program then received an additional one-time funding of $100,000 as part of the City's Fiscal Year 2025 budget, approved by the City Council in August 2024. To date, the City has provided 295 VIP grants to businesses throughout Long Beach.

“Small businesses are the cornerstone of our community and serve as the foundation for a thriving economy,” said Economic Development Department Director Bo Martinez. “This grant opportunity is one of many that we have offered to support and uplift entrepreneurs and help guide small businesses toward success.”

Businesses and nonprofits should apply if they meet the following criteria: 

• Must be able to prove that damages were sustained on or after Oct. 1, 2023.
• Must have a business storefront.
• Must be located and operating within the boundaries of Long Beach, California (address cannot be a P.O. Box or an address that leads to a shipping center as their physical location).
• May be a private for-profit business, including sole proprietorships, or nonprofit organization.
• Must have a City of Long Beach business license.
• Must be an independently owned and operated business (not publicly traded).
• Must have fewer than 200 employees.
• Must gross no more than $2 million annually.
• Corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships must have an active status with the California Secretary of State.

For additional eligibility requirements and to complete an application, those interested can visit longbeach.gov/smallbizgrants. Applications will remain open until funding is exhausted.

For additional information about the VIP or assistance with completing an application, those interested can call the City’s BizCare Hotline at 562.570.4BIZ (4249) or email 4Biz@longbeach.gov.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. For more information about the Long Beach Economic Development Department, visit longbeach.gov/ed, follow on Facebook, X and Instagram. Stay up to date on business news by signing up for the City’s Business Brief.