Last chance for fire survivors to apply for local relief grants

Fire survivors including small business owners who were affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires have until Wednesday evening to apply for financial relief.

The Los Angeles Region Small Business and Worker Relief Funds provide direct support to businesses, nonprofits and workers affected by the windstorm and wildfires that occurred in January.

These cash assistance grants are meant to provide immediate relief, “while the County and City of Los Angeles, along with federal, state, local and community partners, plan for the long-term economic recovery and resiliency of those impacted,” officials said.

The deadline to fill out an online application is March 12 at 5 p.m.

Small businesses and workers can find the application and more information here.

Homeowners and renters looking for relief can find more information and apply online here.

“This is a critical opportunity for those impacted by the devastating wildfires to access much-needed financial support,” said Kathryn Barger, Los Angeles County’s 5th District supervisor. “I strongly encourage anyone eligible to apply before tomorrow’s deadline.”

Small business owners and nonprofits

Small business and nonprofit owners whose bricks-and-mortar facilities were fully destroyed may qualify for up to $25,000 grants.

Here’s the breakdown for what small businesses and nonprofits are eligible for:

• Small businesses and nonprofits operating from a commercial space can receive $25,000 for completely destroyed bricks-and-mortar
• If either was partially destroyed they can receive up to $20,000.
• Either reporting loss of revenue can apply for up to $15,000.
• Home-based businesses and independent contractors (this includes nonprofits operating from home) are eligible for $5,000 grants for equipment loss and $2,000 for revenue loss.

Applicants are eligible if:

• They were financially impacted by the Los Angeles-area fires and windstorm that took place starting Jan. 7.
• They were headquartered within the boundaries of Los Angeles County and operating within either a Fire Zone, Evacuation Order Level 3 Zone or Evacuation Warning Level 2 Zone during the disaster period.
• Businesses, including affiliates, must have 100 or fewer employees and average annual gross receipts of $6 million or less.
• Nonprofits and social service providers with a 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6) or 501(c)(19) designation must serve low-income to moderate income communities and have annual gross revenue of $6 million or less.
• The applicant independently owns the business or nonprofit that sells or provides services and/or products.
• The business owner applying for the grant must be the majority owner and manager of the qualified business and the owner’s primary means of income in the 2024 taxable year. Person applying on behalf of a nonprofit must be its executive officer or president.
• Applicants must be active businesses currently in operation and in good standing with all local, state and federal taxing and licensing authorities.

Workers

Workers who lost their homes or jobs due to fire zone impacts may qualify for up to $2,000 in assistance.

In order to be eligible for the assistance the applicant must be:

• 18 years of age or older
• A resident of Los Angeles County
• Employed or self-employed (for example, a domestic worker) in Los Angeles County at the time of the Los Angeles-area fires.
• Experienced income loss, temporary or permanent, due to place of work location in the emergency zones (Fire Zone, Evacuation Order Level 3 Zone or Evacuation Warning Level 2 Zone during disaster period) or due to loss of their home.

A right-to-work status is not required to apply for this grant.

The required documents for the application include:

• Acceptable form of government-issued (USA or foreign) photo identification
• Proof of residency in Los Angeles County (This can be a government-issued photo ID with home address, utility bill, mortgage or lease documents.)
• Proof of income or employment at a physical address in emergency zones as of Jan. 7 (This can be a pay stub, invoice, employer or validation.)
• Proof of permanent disruption including structural loss, damage or temporary disruption (closure of the worksite) to work location or residence due to the windstorm and wildfires. (This can be the FEMA Determination Letter, publicly available data on photos for structures in emergency zones or received evacuation order mandates.)

Residents and renters

Immediate cash grants ranging from $6,000 to $18,000 are available for homeowners and tenants who were displaced by the fires, so their home had to be damaged or destroyed to the point of it being uninhabitable.

Applicants also may be eligible for assistance if they experienced a death in their household related to the Los Angeles-area fires.

Grant amounts are determined by household size.

Here’s the breakdown:

• A household of one or two people, including individuals living alone or couples without dependents, may be eligible for $6,000.
• A household of three or more people, where at least one person is a dependent minor or a dependent adult, may be eligible for $12,000.
• A multigenerational household with at least four people that includes dependent minors and/or dependent adults and consists of at least three separate generations may be eligible for $18,000.

The program and application guide is available in Armenian, Chinese, English, Persian, Russian, Spanish and Tagalog.