Anyone who owns or wishes to start a business in San Luis Obispo can apply for grant funding from the City of San Luis Obispo starting today to reach more diverse customers.
An information session will be held online via Zoom on March 1, 2023 at 3 p.m. Join that meeting online. Here is the updated link: https://slocity-org.zoom.us/j/81153052847
The City’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is partnering with the Office of Economic Development and Tourism to provide financial support to local businesses while also promoting the economic and social well-being of the community through programs that support diversity, create equity, and foster inclusion.
“Focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion can benefit your bottom line while also benefiting the entire community,” said Nestor Veloz-Passalacqua, the City’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager. “All businesses based in San Luis Obispo can apply for this new grant funding opportunity for activities, services, programs or projects that are accessible to all and that have a focus on traditionally underserved, underrepresented or marginalized groups.”
The City of San Luis Obispo is now offering a total of $150,000 in funding through its DEI SLO Business Grant Program for FY 2022-23. Applications are due on March 31, 2023 by 5 p.m. and funds will be released to grant recipients in the fall.
Historically underserved, underrepresented, or marginalized communities are groups of people who experience the systematic process of being relegated to the lower outer edge or margin of society economically, politically, culturally, and socially. Marginalized groups were (and some continue to be) denied full participation or representation in mainstream cultural, social, political, and economic activities. Marginalized communities have typically referred to Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ+, women, low-income, and people with disabilities.
One of San Luis Obispo’s Major City Goals is centered around diversity, equity and inclusion, specifically to make San Luis Obispo a more welcoming and inclusive city for all. The purpose of this grant funding is to address equity gaps within our community and enhance the sense of belonging for those most disenfranchised. This grant program is administered by the City’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which represents the City’s forward-facing commitment to meaningful, structural, and lasting change. For more information, visit www.slocity.org/Diversity.
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