Small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Chula Vista will be able to apply next week for a total of $3.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds to mend the economic impact caused by the pandemic.
Applications for the City of Chula Vista Small Business and Nonprofit Relief Fund will open from Aug. 29 at 9 a.m. through Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. The city of Chula Vista Partnered with the San Diego Foundation, and San Diego & Imperial Small Business Development Center Networked partnered to open the funds and resources for increased accessibility.
A total of $2.6 million is available to local businesses, and the San Diego Foundation contributed an additional $1 million to non-profit organizations. According to Mark Stuart, President, and CEO of, the San Diego Foundation, eligible small businesses can receive up to $10,000, and eligible non-profits can receive up to $100,000.
“This is the second grant program the City has launched since the start of the pandemic to help our small businesses recover from the economic impacts they continue to face,” said Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas. “I encourage our Chula Vista small businesses, home-based businesses and nonprofits to apply.”
City officials stressed that grants are not awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis, and small businesses should focus on accuracy and completeness over applying early. Applicants may find assistance in filling out the application through the San Diego Foundation and the Small Business Development center.
“This relief fund for Chula Vista’s small business and nonprofit organizations is a great example of how that vision is realized – by doing important work with our partners throughout the region,” communities,” said Mark Stuart, President, and CEO of, the San Diego Foundation.
According to Salas, the city has expanded the types of businesses that qualify for the fund to include home-based businesses, self-employed workers, independent contractors, sole proprietors, corporations with no more than 100 employees, and nonprofit organizations. The Chula Vista Small Business and Nonprofit Relief Fund is for businesses that are under $250,000 in gross revenue.
“These are some of the smallest of our businesses in Chula Vista. They continue to have those impacts, of not being able to access large PPP loans, and not being able to take advantage of large EIDL loans or other large grant programs, so they continue to have those impacts that hurt them still today in terms of rent payments, insurance payments, payroll payments, are just, in general, the lost revenue that happened throughout 2020 and 2021,” said Daniel Fitzgerald, regional director of the SBDC Network.
Multi-lingual assistance is available to help those interested in applying.
Visit SDIVSBDC.org/cv-stimulus for more information about the COVID-19 relief funds, including the timeline, required documents to apply, details on eligibility and ineligibility, as well as priority areas, and getting help. Further information about resources, office hours, and on-demand training to schedule a free SBDC appointment is available on the website.
