Strategy in Action

The city council approved Los Angeles’s Legacy Business Program in July 2022, and the program began taking applications in February 2024. With key recommendations from Little Tokyo Service Center and other community stakeholders, the program protects small businesses threatened by displacement due to rising rents and development and establishes a registry of legacy businesses that have been operating in the same community for 20 years or more.

To qualify, businesses must contribute significantly to the community’s history or identity; sustain and cultivate distinct cultural traditions or practices; not be franchised or affiliated with a national corporate chain; and provide vital goods and services in a culturally accessible language and manner. Small businesses that face an imminent threat of displacement are prioritized.

The city provides technical assistance and marketing support to businesses that are selected, as well as grants of up to $10,000 for those with 2-5 employees and up to $20,000 for those with six or more employees. The city used funds from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to staff and launch the program.