Stories of Resiliency: Embracing Businesses at the Heart of Their Communities
The LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund has provided a much-needed wave of financial relief and recovery tools for small businesses, non-profits providing essential services, immigrant-owned enterprises and the most vulnerable Angelenos impacted by the pandemic. Serving as the Fund Administrator, LISC LA has awarded grants to over 7,000 businesses. Each week, we’ll be sharing the stories of our resilient grant recipients.
Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live and work. On top of the public health crisis, the lockdowns and operating restrictions in effect across the city and county have made running a business a daily struggle. Some were able to transition their services online and develop protocols to meet new safety standards, but with less revenue coming in and bills piling up, Angelenos needed economic relief. A number of financial relief programs were created to address the needs of local businesses, but unfortunately, the many cultural, technical and financial barriers in receiving this aid have caused many businesses to fall through the cracks.
To support the small businesses that form the backbone of the diverse Los Angeles community, the City and County created the nearly $100 million LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund to provide $5,000 to $75,000 grants to small businesses, microentrepreneurs and non-profits. With over 40 years of experience connecting communities to resources and opportunities, LISC LA ensured grants were distributed equitably and reached the most vulnerable Angelenos.
The LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund recognizes that small businesses and non-profits are often a part of the foundation of their communities — two such community staples who received a grant from the Fund are the Los Angeles Music and Art School and El Arte Barbershop.
Los Angeles Music and Art School, an East Los Angeles cornerstone in arts education for 75 years, has provided more than 2 million lessons to 100,000 students. The school started as a settlement home in the 1940’s, but has always stayed true to its mission: to provide the community of East LA with equitable access to multidisciplinary arts education programs and offer opportunities for underserved youth.
Get LISC LA’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Kathleen Jequinto, a development and events associate, said that they’re here to create programs for immigrant families — just like they did for those fleeing during the Jewish Diaspora more than half a century ago. Since May this year, LA Music and Art School has been partaking in online learning, and their team spoke to each and every student to ensure they would be able to attend. The school usually serves 530 students a week, but today, is only able to serve about half of that. Despite the challenges to retain students who are unable to transition to online learning, Jequinto said that the grant they received from the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund is helping them continue employing their teachers and helping them reach new students past the standard two-mile radius.
LA Music and Art’s main focus is to spread the grant throughout the community to those who face a disadvantage at their school, and innovation is more important than ever to serve their community. Their staff is performing remotely to inspire their kids to maintain their love of the arts. The funds have already and will continue to help them sustain their programs, including support to 37 teaching artists who create virtual lesson plans and curriculum that will be implemented through December 2020.
Jequinto says that with support from the LA Regional COVID-19 Fund and strategic planning, the school has been able to stay open and reach more students. She encourages other organizations in similar situations to apply.
El Arte Barbershop is a family owned establishment that has served the South LA community for over 40 years. Continuing the family business alongside his father, Roberto Sanchez has worked hard to keep El Arte in South LA, something important to Sanchez, as the barbershop has served the Latino community in the neighborhood for decades. Despite the reopening for the restaurant businesses here in Los Angeles, barbershops are among the types of businesses that have only recently been allowed to reopen. The stagnation in business during this time almost put El Arte Barbershop at risk of being evicted.
When Roberto got the notice that his barbershop would be a recipient of an LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant, he was able to keep his business from getting evicted, upgrade equipment and make repairs to the shop and make sure El Arte Barbershop would be able to reopen safely when the restriction was lifted by putting money towards making his business in compliance with the new COVID-19 safety standards.
“Through most of the 80’s and 90’s we’ve been a staple of the community,” Sanchez said. “I’d like to express my deep appreciation for this help. My livelihood had been at risk and the grant minimized that risk.”
While the Fund’s final round of its grant program is now closed, LISC LA continues to build resilient and inclusive communities for people, places and businesses through a number of programs they offer throughout the year. To learn more about LISC LA and the programs they offer, visit https://www.lisc.org/los-angeles/.
