On Sept. 17, the City of Concord released the results of the Small Business Grant Program which will provide $5,000 grants through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding for local small businesses that have experienced financial hardship as a result of the global pandemic. The grant program, which closed on August 21, received 289 applications and awarded 130 grants. Of those, 32 were deemed priority businesses and automatically accepted, with the remaining 98 grants awarded by lottery.
The Concord City Council approved the allocation of $1.6 million of the CARES Act to fund four programs: the Small Business Grant Program administered by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce; Rental Relief Program administered by Shelter Inc.; Distance learning support for Mt. Diablo Unified School District, and COVID-19 response and reimbursement, including sheltering people experiencing homelessness in hotels and support for food deliveries.