LEEP Eligibility Program Overview

In 2020, Mendocino County was awarded $2.2 million from the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions which is being administered by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). In addition, the Board of Supervisor’s allocated $100,000 matching grant dollars to support our local Cannabis Equity Program which aims to provide funding and services for those hardest hit by the “War on Drugs” by lowering barriers to cannabis permitting and licensing.
In order to qualify for this funding, entrepreneurs must apply for and receive a LEEP Designation in one of the three following categories:
  • LEEP Licensee – One who currently holds a Cannabis Cultivation Permit (CCP) and/or a Cannabis Facility Business License (CFBL)
  • LEEP Applicant – One who has applied for, but not yet received, a Cannabis Cultivation Permit (CCP) and/or a Cannabis Facility Business License (CFBL)
  • LEEP Business in Formation – One who is seeking to apply, but has not yet applied for a Cannabis Cultivation Permit (CCP) and/or a Cannabis Facility Business License (CFBL)
LEEP Designee Criteria
In order to receive the LEEP Designation, the applicant must meet the criteria in each of the following two categories:
  • Jurisdiction Criteria
  • Equity Criteria