By Lookout Staff

September 17, 2026 – The City is taking applications for a new Small Business Relief Microgrant Program that provides one-time, $5,000 grants to eligible existing brick-and-mortar businesses, City officials announced Wednesday.

The program -- which will close its first round of applications on October 1 -- will distribute a total of $100,000 in grant funding to "support local businesses and strengthen Santa Monica’s commercial corridors," officials said.

Grant awardees are expected to be announced by early November, and additional application rounds will open as needed until all available funds have been awarded.

“Small businesses are the reason a block feels like a neighborhood instead of a row of storefronts,” said Mayor Caroline Torosis. “They are also where most Santa Monicans work and where a lot of us got our start.

"When a small business is steady, the people behind the counter are steady too," Torosis said. "These microgrants are a direct, practical way to tell the owners working impossible hours to stay open that we are in this with them.”

The microgrant program is part of the City’s Realignment Plan and "reflects its commitment to supporting local businesses and activating economic opportunity and growth in Santa Monica," City officials said.

The program is intended to "help retain locally owned small businesses, encourage investment in commercial funding corridors, strengthen long-term business sustainability, and promote active and vibrant storefronts."

Additional information, including eligibility requirements and application details, is available on the city’s Small Business Relief Microgrant Program webpage.

The city will highlight participating businesses following the award announcement. For more information, email Business.Concierge@santamonica.gov.