California Businesses Eligible for Paid Family Leave Grants

Offering paid leave to employees can help businesses attract and retain top talent. But it can also lead to increased costs and uneven workloads. California is currently providing grants to help small businesses offset some of these costs. Read about this grant program and other current opportunities below.

California Paid Family Leave Grants

California is offering grants of up to $2,000 per employee to businesses that offer paid family leave to employees. The California’s Paid Family Leave program is funded through the California Employment Training Panel and the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Businesses can use grant funds to cover various additional costs incurred when employees take leave, such as cross-training existing staff or hiring and training temporary employees. The goal of the program is to alleviate the financial burden that small businesses incur when employees take time off. California’s paid leave policy offers eligible employees up to eight weeks of wage replacement benefits for various reasons, like bonding with a new child or caring for a seriously ill relative. These grants are available to small businesses with between 1 and 100 employees with employees taking leave on or after June 1, 2024.

LIAACC Delivery Grant

The Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce is partnering with Trellus Same-Day Local Delivery & Marketplace to support minority-owned small businesses in Suffolk County. The LIAACC Delivery Grant includes $125,000 in total funding to support small ecommerce businesses and others that can utilize Trellus’s fast delivery services. Eligible members will be able to apply for grants of $2,500 each, with up to 40 Suffolk County small businesses receiving funding.

Invest Atlanta Water Outages Recovery Fund

Atlanta is considering a proposal that would award grants to small businesses impacted by water outages earlier this month. Two City Council committees recently approved a resolution to set aside $5 million to establish the grant program, which would be run by Invest Atlanta. The proposal would allow businesses to apply for funds based on the amount of time they were closed. The full City Council will now consider the proposal. If approved, the application period is set to open on June 24 and would close on July 8.

California Small Agricultural Business Drought & Flood Relief Grant Program

California is providing grants to small agricultural businesses that experienced a decline in revenue due to drought or flood conditions. Drought Group 3 funds are available to qualified small agricultural businesses that did not file their 2022 tax returns until 2024. These businesses must also have been financially impacted by severe drought and/or flooding. Each business can apply for up to $100,000. July 29 is the deadline to apply for the current funding round.

SBA WBC Grants

The U.S. Small Business Administration just announced $30 million in new funding opportunities to support Women’s Business Centers. The grants won’t go directly to small businesses, but will allow the WBC network to expand and improve offerings to better support women-owned businesses across the U.S. For example, funds will support WBCs that specialize in federal contracting and child care operations, as well as those offering virtual consulting services to businesses in underserved areas, like rural communities, tribal lands, or military bases.

Illinois Back to Business Local Chambers Program Grants

Illinois recently awarded grant funds to 151 local chambers of commerce across the state to help with marketing and development efforts. The Back to Business (B2B) Local Chambers program is providing a total of $5 million to various recipients that experienced negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds won’t go directly to small businesses. But chambers can use them to offer funding opportunities or support services that will benefit local business members.

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