California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program (closed): Working Solutions served as a partner in the $2.5 billion California Relief Grant Program, administered by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) and Lendistry, from December 2020 to September 2021, through all nine rounds of funding.

California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program in Sonoma County (closed): Working Solutions partnered with the Sonoma County Economic Development Board on the California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, funded by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), to provide $225,000 in grant funding to 90 microbusinesses in Sonoma County. The intent of this program was to provide relief to the hardest to reach microbusinesses and entrepreneurs.

Sonoma County Small Business Stabilization Grant Program (closed): The Sonoma County Economic Development Board and Board of Supervisors launched the Sonoma County Small Business Stabilization Grant Program to make grants ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 to local small businesses. This grant program was made possible by federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Working Solutions administered the application and grant-making process, deploying $2.5 million in grant funding to 542 small businesses in Sonoma County. Learn more about the impact of this program here.

City of Oakland COVID-19 Relief Grants (closed): Together with the City of Oakland, Working Solutions administered two grant programs for small businesses in 2020, disbursing a total of $1.875 million in grants to 434 small businesses. To reduce language barriers, applications for both programs were available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

• Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Oakland and Working Solutions deployed $1,375,000 to make emergency relief grants to 275 local small business owners through the Oakland Small Business Emergency Grant Program. Our thanks to the Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund, Union Bank, and many generous individual donors for making this program possible. Learn more about the impact of this grant program here.

• The City of Oakland launched the Home-Based Business Grant Program to provide grants of $2,000 to $4,000 to local, home-based, for-profit small businesses. This grant program was made possible by federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Working Solutions administered the application and grant-making process. Together, the City of Oakland and Working Solutions deployed $500,000 in grant funding to 159 home-based businesses in Oakland from October to December 2020.

Keep It Caring, Keep It Oakland COVID-19 Recovery Fund (closed): Working Solutions partnered with the Oakland Indie Alliance on the Keep It Caring, Keep It Oakland COVID-19 Recovery Fund in 2021, which made 17 grants of $5,000 each to independent businesses in Oakland that were negatively impacted by COVID-19. The fund was fiscally sponsored by Social Good Fund. Priority was given to BIPOC-owned businesses; women-owned businesses; LGBTQ-owned businesses; businesses owned by people born and raised in Oakland; and Oakland legacy businesses (those with 10 or more years in operation).

Disaster Relief Grants (closed): In partnership with the Napa Valley Community Foundation, Working Solutions has made $1 million in grants to small businesses affected by natural disasters such as the North Bay Fires and the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Working Solutions and the City of Napa, with support from Napa Valley Community Foundation and the Napa-Sonoma Small Business Development Center, disbursed $96,700 in grants to 21 businesses in 2020 with funding from the CARES Act and Bank of Marin.

Albany Business Relief Fund (closed): In 2020, Veronica and Scott Davidson, owners of Ocean View Brew Works in Albany, saw the impact of the pandemic on fellow small business owners and wanted to do something to help. They launched an Indiegogo fundraiser and partnered with Working Solutions to provide grants of $1,000 to 15 local businesses to help them offset financial losses due to the pandemic.

Albany Inside Out Grant Fund (closed): In 2021, a second grant program in Albany was made possible by a community fundraiser organized by Vonnie Davidson of Ocean View Brew Works and Amy Smolens of Albany Strollers & Rollers (working as volunteers for the Albany Inside Out program) as well as a grant from the Albany Community Foundation. The purpose of this grant fund was to help mitigate expenses incurred by Albany-based businesses that made significant changes to their infrastructure due to COVID-19 regulations or safety protocols. Through this fund, Working Solutions made 11 grants totaling $12,560 to Albany businesses.