The County of Ventura is launching a second COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Program for businesses and non-profit organizations that did not receive a grant during the County's first program in 2020. Businesses and non-profits based in Ventura County may be eligible for $5,000 grants.

The application is simpler and easier than the first round. Please visit www.VCbusinessgrants.org or call (888) 405-1004 for more information about the program. Applications will be accepted from March 31 (at 8:00 AM) through April 6 (at 6:00 PM). Businesses can also take advantage of a pre-registration window from March 24-30 to create website accounts and begin preparing applications.

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First, the simple good news: the State of California has expanded funding for its California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program up to two billion dollars, which means more businesses will be able to receive grants of between $5,000 and $25,000 (depending on revenues). Two rounds of grants have already gone out to California small businesses.

Now, the complicated part: the state has announced four new rounds of funding in the coming weeks as follows:

To apply or to get more information about the state's grant program, visit www.CAReliefGrant.com or call (888) 612-4370, Mon-Fri, 7A-7P. Or, if you would like to speak to someone locally about the program, please call (805) 409-9159.

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This afternoon, state health officials released their weekly update on COVID-19 tiers for all California counties. Of California's 58 counties, 34 remain in California's purple tier (down from 40 last week). Here are the recent new COVID-19 case rates per 100K population for Ventura County:

The adjustment is a bonus because Ventura County tests more people for COVID-19 than most other California counties. To move from the purple tier to the less-restrictive red tier and reopen more sectors of the economy, Ventura County must get its adjusted new case rate to below 7.0. Of note, Los Angeles County moved to the red tier in today's report, meaning many Los Angeles County businesses will be able to reopen tomorrow.

As mentioned in last week's M-Powered, the state announced soon-to-come changes for getting to the red tier as additional vaccines are administered in high-target communities, with the threshold to get to red tier set at 10.0 adjusted cases instead of the current 7.0. However, we don't know yet when exactly the new 10.0 threshold will take effect.

To see what businesses can open in the various tiers, or to see how Ventura County compares to the rest of California, visit covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/.

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Tuesday, March 16, 10:30 AM | Register Here

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Wednesday, March 17, 10:30 AM | Register Here

Learn four top strategies that impact your Google ranking, including the importance of having your business show up in local search results and how you can leverage online reviews to attract more customers. We'll also show you ways to use different types of paid ad strategies to get in front of more of your targeted customers. Lastly, we'll touch on using social media to build your brand and create a more personalized experience for your followers.

Friday, March 19, 12:00 PM | Register Here

The Economic Development Collaborative invites you to its ongoing webinar series on alternating Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:00 PM to answer questions about EIDL, PPP, UI, grants, and all currently available COVID-19 related business resources.

Tuesday, March 23, 10:30 AM | Register Here

Have you ever dreamed of owning your own business but don't know where to start? Do you have the passion and work ethic, but need education and guidance? Being a small business owner is exciting, but understanding the lifestyle will clarify if it is right for you. Join us in this informative webinar and learn what it takes to be a successful business owner.