Applications can be submitted until the beginning of October; the aid may be used to pay rent and services, among others
Supervisor Hilda Solís this week presented a new donation program for micro, small and medium businesses facing difficulties as a result of the pandemic.
The LACovidFund program, funded by the City and County of Los Angeles with the support of organizations, is to provide grants to small entrepreneurs from street vendors to established businesses.
Rudy Espinoza, from Inclusive Action, a non-profit financial institution in charge of promoting the program, said that part of the initiative consists of granting donations to micro and small entrepreneurs who need support to continue their businesses.
“What I need to say because it is important for people to know about it is that there are donation sizes proportional to the types of businesses,” he said.
“Suppose you are a seller and you earn $ 100,000 annually or less, you could request a donation of up to $ 5,000 … But let’s say [tu empresa] it’s a little bigger, a business that earns more than $ 100,000 per year but less than a million, so you could request a donation of up to $ 15,000, ”explained Espinoza.
He added that there is another level for businesses that earn more than $ 1 million annually but less than $ 5 million, and that they can request donations of up to $ 50,000.
“I want to clarify that these are donations, not loans, so they do not have to be paid [de regreso”, dijo.
La supervisora Solís preguntó cuál sería el criterio para otorgar los donativos, cómo saber si se otorgan a pequeños y micro empresarios que los necesitan.
El representante de Inclusive Action dijo que eso se averigua con negocios que estaban establecidos, como tales, desde antes de que llegara la pandemia.
Por ejemplo, indicó, se revisa si un restaurante estaba abierto antes de la contingencia y después tuvo que enfrentan meses de cierre y cuando finalmente pudo reabrir sus puertas, solo pudo recibir al 25 por ciento de los comensales que atendía antes de la pandemia.
La información estará disponible en la página del fondo de la ciudad y el condado en apoyo a los pequeños comerciantes, en el portal: www.lacovidfund.org
De acuerdo con la información proporcionada en la charla virtual con la supervisora Solís, la próxima ronda de donativos será el 5 de octubre.
Erika Hernández, también de Inclusive Action, explicó que todavía hay suficiente tiempo para que los interesados reciban donativos en octubre.
Ella se encarga de ayudar a los interesados a llevar solicitudes y a emplear herramientas de redes sociales.
La supervisora Solís destacó que es importante que las organizaciones no lucrativas sepan que también pueden recibir donativos de parte de la asociación entre la ciudad y el condado de Los Ángeles.
Hernández, por su parte, comentó que la mayoría de los donativos de hasta 5,000 dólares que se entregan “sirven por lo general para pagar renta atrasada de propiedad comercial, también han servido para cubrir pagos de servicios públicos [como el agua, la electricidad y el gas]”.
For those who are just starting businesses, Inclusive Action “will have a loan program in a few weeks.”
Not all convinced
In reactions, the founder and president of the Pomona Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Minerva Hernández, told La Opinion that she preferred to take the presentation with reservations and prudence.
“In Pomona we have many street vendors who urgently need help but how could they help them if they are not registered,” questioned the leader of the merchants.
Hernández said that he is going to request a donation for the Chamber of Commerce because it is a non-profit organization, but he expressed discredit in the program.
“They have spoken to us and offered programs that do not materialize in helping people, the resources are left behind without reaching those who need them,” he said.
He explained that of a previous official aid of $ 5,000 for individual aid that had to be given to merchants, “they only benefited a few people.”
It should be noted that on many occasions the monetary aid for income or business is random or like a lottery.
“When politicians speak, they say things in a way that seems very nice, but the reality is very different from what they say,” said the business leader.
In Pomona 65% of the businesses are Latino, many of them have not yet obtained any type of loan to keep their businesses afloat.
According to Hernández, some will no longer open their doors as a result of losses from the pandemic and lack of support.
