File photo of Pie Bar owner Laurie Gray before she opened her business on Pine Avenue.
The Downtown Long Beach Associates’ (DLBA) Woman Owned Business Accelerator Program is now accepting notices of intent to apply for a total award bucket of $15,000. Notices of intent are due Tuesday, September 5, and will be followed by a Facebook Live Information Session Q&A to be held Wednesday.
With Built By She, Wonder Women Tech, the City of Long Beach and Cal State Long Beach’s Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship as partners, the program is designed to help existing, as well as “pre-revenue”, woman-owned businesses in downtown Long Beach by providing not only grant funds, but also targeted assistance, in an effort to recruit, retain or expand woman-owned businesses in the area. Winning participants will receive three to five four-hour education sessions to help develop their business.
The $15,000 may be divided among up to three winners, with “preference given to businesses supporting online/digital customer acquisition strategies,” and “must be matched with up to $15,000 in matching seed money or incurred business investments,” according to the criteria.
To qualify as a woman-owned business, at least 51 percent of the entity must be unconditionally and directly owned by women, a woman must manage day-to-day operations, make the long-term decisions for the business, hold the highest officer position in the company and must work at the business full-time during normal working hours.
Visit the link here to make sure your business meets the rest of the Criteria for Participation.
Applications are due Friday, September 15, with finalists to be nominated by Thursday, September 28. For more information, visit the DLBA’s website here. Any questions can also be directed to Economic Development Manager Adam Carrillo at (562) 485-3130.