Grant awards consist of:

• One-time grant of up to $20,000
• Over 100 hours of one-on-one technical assistance and business development support from industry leaders (valued at over $10,000)
• Free technical assistance workshops
• Free networking events  

There are three different types of grants applicants can apply for in this grant cycle:

• Capacity Grant (up to $3,000)-  Gap capital for business clients with small-scale, immediate, one-time financial needs to support the sustainability of their business. These may include expenses such as rent, labor costs, and materials and supplies. Client grants will be provided at $3,000 maximum per grant to unduplicated client recipients of the Wild Seed Fund. Each grantee will receive one-on-one technical assistance.
• Catalyst Grant (up to $10,000)- Mid-sized grants for personnel or other business-strengthening resources for businesses that aim to scale. These may include expenses such as staffing, marketing costs, product development, supply chain optimization, and operations. Client grants will be provided at $10,000 maximum per grant to unduplicated client recipients of the Wild Seed Fund. Each grantee will receive one-on-one technical assistance.
• Capital Grant (up to $20,000)- Capital costs are one-time expenses that are used to expand business production or services. These include acquiring or updating equipment and business tools, intangible assets such as patents, or expansion costs such as facility rentals. Grant funds will not be allowed to be used to acquire or improve land or buildings. Client grants will be provided at $20,000 per grant to unduplicated client recipients of the Wild Seed Fund. Each grantee will receive one-on-one technical assistance.

Applicants can apply for more than one grant, however, successful applicants will be awarded no more than one grant. 

Applications cannot be saved in the online application form before submission, so we highly suggest drafting your application ahead of time using the Microsoft Word application template linked here. Then paste your answers into the online application form when you are ready to submit.

In addition to the application questions, you will be asked to provide the following documents in a PDF file:

• Your business license.
• The most recent tax filing and/or recent financial statement for your business or organization. Financial statements include balance sheets and/or income statements.
• If you have one, a business plan.
  (this is not a requirement, and will not affect the scoring of your application)

Your proposal for funding will be evaluated based on the following:

REQUIREMENTS/ELIGIBLE 

• Adults 18+ who identify as woman or non-binary 
• Licensed business with headquarters in LA County 
• Businesses must serve communities in Moderate, High, and Highest JENI and JESI index (check on the map linked here  https://jcod.lacounty.gov/jeni-and-jesi-indexes/)
• Small business defined as either less than 10 employees or under $5 million in annual revenue (some exceptions may apply) 
• Must be independently owned and operated
• Business with a positive social impact / values driven 

PRIORITIES 

• System-impacted individuals prioritized (justice-involved, foster care, etc.) 
• Individuals with barriers to employment 
• Businesses experiencing financial hardship
• Employers 
• Black / African-American women and/or non-binary folks strongly encouraged to apply

• Monday, August 12: Application opens
• Thursday, August 29: Application Information Session and Technical Workshop
• Tuesday, September 13: Application period closes
• October: Mandatory Orientation and Workshop for all grant awardees
• November: Grant Awards Announced
• November – December: Awards Distributed
• January – June: One-on-One technical assistance for grant awardees
• May: Grantee recognition event