CA Relief Grant
Arts & Culture Nonprofits are eligible for CA Relief Grant Round 2 – THIS IS NOT A SCAM
If you have received an email, text or phone call from Lendistry telling you that you may be eligible for a second grant from the CA Relief Grant Program, please be aware that this is NOT a scam. This is a legitimate grant opportunity. We know this seems a little too good to be true, and many people have ignored the communication but please do not.
Here is a little background information. You will recall the CA Relief grant program that ran in 2021 and 2022, during which there were 2 rounds that were specifically for arts and culture nonprofits, Rounds 4 and 8. At the end of the program there were funds that were not spent. California Arts Advocates lobbied to have these funds stay in the arts and culture sector instead of being returned to the CA general fund. Happily, we were successful and in last year’s budget this additional round of funding was approved. The program was limited to only those that were approved for a grant in Round 4 or 8 of the original CA Relief Grant so that streamlined the application process since all applicants had already been approved.
Instead of doing any publicity about the program, Lendistry reached out directly to everyone who received a grant in round 4 or 8 and provided a simple form to complete. These are the emails you received. Lendistry has continued to reach out to those who have not responded, with repeated emails, calls and texts. Here is the process so you know what to expect. Either pull up one of the old emails and use the link included, or email careliefgrant@lendistry.com and tell them you were a recipient of a CA Relief Grant in Round 4 or 8 and would like to apply for the second round. They will send you a new email and you will complete a google form that basically asks if you are still in business and still meet the eligibility requirements. At that point you will not be asked for any financial information, it is more general information about the organization including if you still have the same signer and are still in operation. If the signer for your organization has changed, you will have the opportunity to update the signer.
They will then respond back to you and either send a DocuSign with the grant agreement, or they may ask you to go into your old grant account portal and reconfirm your bank through Plaid. Approximately 10 days after that you should receive a transfer to your bank. The grant amount is the same as the original grant you received in Round 4 or 8.
Even before contacting Lendistry you can log into your old CA Relief grant account through the portal included below. This should show your original grant and also the second one in process. If you open up the second one within the portal then you can go ahead and confirm your bank information. If the portal says you need to update other information you do not, unless Lendistry specifically contacts you and asks you to. Remember that there is a different portal for each Lendistry grant program so if you also applied to the CA Venues or CA Nonprofit Performing Arts Program you want to make sure you are logging into the CA Relief Grant portal, and using your email and log in for that specific program.
CA Relief Grant Portal: https://crgacnpo.mylendistry.com/
We hope this helps put your mind at ease. CFTA wants to make sure no one misses out on funds that they are legitimately eligible for and that our partner lobbying organization CA Arts Advocates fought to ensure remains in the arts. As arts advocates, we also want to make sure that all of these funds are used. If you have any questions, need any other information or are not sure if you received funding in the earlier rounds email Teri@californiansforthearts.org and we are happy to help you. The program is only open for a short period of time so we encourage you to reply as soon as possible.
Note: Organizing and other verifying documents, including Form 990s, are not required until you are selected to go through the validation process.
Collectively, with your voice and our lobbying, we advocated to the state for funding specifically for our sector and on Feb 23, SB 87 was signed into law approving $50 million in funding for nonprofit cultural institutions. On July 12, 2021, Governor Newsom signed SB 151 into law allowing the remaining $16 million in cultural institution funding for the CA Relief Grant to be reopened and an additional $1.5 billion to be allocated for relief to small businesses and nonprofit organizations. It is critical the field knows about this funding opportunity and takes advantage of it. Please share this opportunity with your networks!
ONLY one award will be awarded per organization/individual/business.
ROUND 7 Allocated $1 billion dollars to previously waitlisted applications from Rounds 1 - 6 ONLY. The Round 7 application window is open from August 3 until September 16, 2021 at 5pm. If you previously applied in Rounds 1 - 6, please login to your application and ensure it is active with all required documents uploaded. If you have any questions, please email: reliefgrant@californiansforthearts.org
ROUND 8 Allocated $16 million dollars to Arts & Culture CA Nonprofits ONLY. The Round 8 application window will open at 9am on August 27 until September 30, 2021 at 5pm. To apply and learn more, please visit the CA Relief Grant page of CalOSBA. Please join us for an upcoming webinar or watch a pre-recorded webinar! DEADLINE EXTENDED!
ROUND 9 Allocated $500 million dollars to CA businesses and nonprofits. The Round 9 application window will open at 9am on September 9 until September 30, 2021 at 5pm. To apply and learn more, please visit the CA Relief Grant page of CalOSBA. Please join us for an upcoming webinar or watch a pre-recorded webinar!
Table of Contents
Eligibility
Getting Started
Beginning Your Application
Tech Tips
Organization “Ownership”
Applicant Personal Data
Government ID
Eligibility by Gross Revenue
Eligible Expenses
Dropdown Menus and Data
Uploading Documents
Other
Already Applied?
Recorded Webinars
CA Relief Grant Program FAQ’s
Before contacting us, please review the FAQ’s.
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For additional assistance, contact:
Californians for the Arts: Teri Ball | teri@californiansforthearts.org
Lendistry: careliefgrant@lendistry.com or 1-888-612-4370