The Little Tokyo Small Business Relief Fund – Los Angeles, California
The Little Tokyo Small Business Relief Fund started in November 2020 as a GoFundMe campaign through a partnership between the Little Tokyo Community Council (LTCC) and the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) to prevent legacy businesses that were hard hit by COVID-19 in the Little Tokyo neighborhood from being displaced. The following year, the LTCC and LTSC came together to make the program permanent with a fund supported by donations and local contributions, the Small Business Assistance Program. The program supports legacy businesses that are affected by the pandemic, at risk of displacement from gentrification pressures, and do not qualify for other city programs and funding sources. As of spring 2021, the program had raised over $150,000 and provided support to over 25 small businesses in Little Tokyo, 23 of which were legacy businesses.