Venice Chamber Of Commerce Receives Mayor's Fund Grant

VENICE, CA — The Venice Chamber of Commerce was one of 22 small chambers to receive grant to rebuild from the pandemic.

The grant comes from the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, recognizing the work that small chambers of commerce do to support local businesses. The Mayor's Fund noted that as chambers of commerce have suffered during the pandemic with staffing and programming, so have local businesses.

"Small businesses are key to our economic recovery. They are the heart of our communities and are responsible for almost 50 percent of our jobs in Los Angeles," Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "Through our chambers of commerce, they have found the support needed to stay afloat. These grants will ensure our chambers of commerce are able to continue supporting small businesses and uplifting our workforce."

Grants were awarded based on the size of the chamber, how the pandemic impacted them, and what recovery services they offered businesses. The goal of the grants was to ensure the small chambers of commerce could continue helping Los Angeles' small businesses recover from the pandemic. Chambers qualified by having annual revenues of $750,000 or less, being located within the city of Los Angeles and primarily serving businesses within the city.

"This is an example of how our recovery can be stronger and more strategic when government, philanthropy and the private sector work together," said Deidre Lind, president/CEO of the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles. "Small businesses bring life to our main streets and employ more Angelenos than any other source. By helping these small chambers weather the pandemic, we're helping them assist thousands of small businesses across Los Angeles."

Chambers applied in May for the grant and were notified this week of their award. This timeline was frustrating as the long process made it difficult for chambers to prepare for the grant, said Nick Montaño, President of the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber of Commerce. Even still, many chambers figured out how to make ends meet.

"Luckily for a lot of restaurants and a lot of businesses, those of us that did survive this thing, it was only because of our tenacity and wanting to adapt to the situation — which is very eye opening for a lot of folks," Montaño said.

City News Service and Emily Rahhal contributed to this story.