{"id":75744,"date":"2025-09-29T12:05:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T19:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=75744"},"modified":"2025-09-29T12:05:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T19:05:39","slug":"la-county-launches-small-business-resiliency-fund-to-support-businesses-impacted-by-immigration-enforcement-disruptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=75744","title":{"rendered":"LA County Launches Small Business Resiliency Fund to Support Businesses Impacted By Immigration Enforcement Disruptions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Solis<\/p>\n

Chair Pro Tem Solis providing remarks at a press conference to launch Los Angeles County’s Small Business Resiliency Fund.<\/em><\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES, Calif.\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0In response to the economic impacts of recent federal immigration enforcement activity, Los Angeles County Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) have launched the Small Business Resiliency Fund (Fund), a cash assistance program providing up to $5,000 in direct relief to help eligible small businesses across Los Angeles County. Applications are now open\u202fand will close on\u202fFriday, Oct. 31, 2025, at 5PM.\u00a0<\/strong>Full eligibility requirements, FAQs, technical\u00a0assistance\u00a0providers and events, and the application portal can be found at:\u00a0opportunity.lacounty.gov\/resiliencyfund<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Fund was\u00a0established\u00a0in direct response to a\u202fJune 17, 2025,\u202fmotion by Chair Pro Tem\u202fHilda L. Solis\u202fand\u202fSupervisor Janice Hahn<\/a>, which called for the development of a business interruption grant program to support small businesses\u00a0impacted\u00a0by federal immigration enforcement-related workforce disruptions, closures, and curfews. Administered by DEO in partnership with SoCal Grantmakers, serving as a fiscal sponsor, and\u00a0AidKit, which will oversee the application and grant distribution, the Fund is supported by\u00a0an initial\u00a0$1.8 million investment from the County\u2019s Care First Community Investment (CFCI) program.<\/p>\n

“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities and local economy. When they are disrupted by actions that create fear and instability, we must act quickly to support them.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0proud to have led the County\u2019s efforts in direct response to the recent immigration enforcement raids, and the launch of the Small Business Resiliency Fund is a vital step in our commitment to stand with small businesses and their workforce. This fund is about protecting the economic stability of those affected and ensuring they have the resources to recover, rebuild, and continue serving their communities with strength and resilience,”\u00a0said Chair Pro Tem Solis.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cICE raids have thrown communities into chaos and small businesses are being hit hard\u2014losing customers, employees, and revenue overnight. This new County program will provide up to $5,000 to help those businesses stay afloat. Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy, and this support is about keeping doors open, protecting jobs, and making sure our most vulnerable neighborhoods get the help they need,\u201d\u00a0said Supervisor Janice Hahn<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>Small businesses are at the heart of Los Angeles County\u2019s economy, and many are immigrant- and family-owned enterprises that serve as cornerstones of their communities. The Small Business Resiliency Fund is about making sure these businesses have the resources they need to withstand disruptions outside their control and continue to provide jobs, services, and stability for residents,\u201d\u00a0said Kelly LoBianco, Director of the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To qualify, businesses must\u00a0be located in\u00a0Los Angeles County and\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0financial hardship beginning June 6, 2025. They must also be\u00a0impacted\u00a0by immigration enforcement-related events, such as forced closures, labor shortages resulting from workforce detentions, or significant revenue losses due to curfews or protests. Grants may be used for recovery-related expenses, including rent or mortgage payments, employee wages, inventory restocking, equipment repairs, debt repayment, and marketing.<\/p>\n

Application and outreach support will be provided by a network of trusted Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), including Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC),\u00a0Initiating\u00a0Change in Our Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (ICON CDC), and the Los Angeles Economic Equity Accelerator and Fellowship (LEEAF). These partners will offer multilingual technical\u00a0assistance, help verify eligibility, and guide business owners throughout the application process.<\/p>\n

Recent economic analysis underscores the urgent need for this effort. According to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation\u2019s (LAEDC)\u00a0recent\u00a0reporting, the civil unrest and curfews that followed federal enforcement activity in June potentially disrupted more than 19,000 businesses in Downtown Los Angeles alone. Over 3,700 of these businesses\u00a0operate\u00a0in the retail sector\u2014one of the most heavily impacted industries\u2014many of them small, immigrant- and family-owned enterprises. Data from\u00a0USC\u2019s Equity Research Institute<\/a>\u00a0further reveals that\u00a0nearly 25 percent\u00a0of undocumented workers in Los Angeles County are employed in retail trade, making the intersection of enforcement activity and industry vulnerability particularly acute. LAEDC estimates the total economic output of businesses within the curfew zone at\u00a0approximately $72.6 billion, supporting more than 284,000\u00a0jobs.<\/p>\n

Due to limited resources, the number of eligible applicants may exceed available funding in the\u00a0initial\u00a0round. Businesses that meet the eligibility criteria but are not selected will be placed on a waitlist and notified if\u00a0additional\u00a0funding becomes available.\u00a0Organizations, foundations, and institutions interested in donating to the Small Business Resiliency Fund can contact\u202fFunds@opportunity.lacounty.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chair Pro Tem Solis providing remarks...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75744"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75745,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75744\/revisions\/75745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}