NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY (NOFA)
FY20 Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Administration Grant
Request for Application (RFA) Release Date: Friday, August 14, 2020
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) is soliciting grant applications from qualified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and/or Community Based nonprofit organizations to provide grant administration, including application development and review, provision of subgrants to eligible small businesses, funds disbursement, and grant management for the Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Grant.
Pursuant to the "Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Limited Grant-Making Authority Amendment Act 2016", effective October 8, 2016 (D.C. Law 21-160; D.C. Official Code § 1-328.04), the FY20 Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Administration Grant Program would offer grants to CDFIs and/or Community Based nonprofit organizations to develop and implement the Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Grant and award up to $12,000 each (pending funding availability) to small, local businesses located in a Great Streets corridor to help continue operations and recover from the COVID-19 Emergency, assist with small business retention and attraction programs, mitigate blight and vacant property growth, and support the pivoting of business operations into the digital market, and layoff aversion.
Eligibility: The FY20 Great Streets Resiliency Administration Grant has identified the following funding priorities.
- Applicant must have its office headquartered in the District of Columbia and have as a primary focus of its activities the provision of financial services for small businesses in the District, including:
a) Track record and volume of small business lending in the District of Columbia and, more specifically, designated Great Streets corridors.
b) Successful performance under previous program grants
c) Institutional capacity
- Applicant would directly handle all back-office responsibilities, including developing and administering the application process, application review, provision of subgrants to eligible small businesses, and funds disbursement.
- Applicant will have an existing infrastructure, including staff capacity, existing policies and procedures, and software and systems, necessary to administer the Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Grant program.
The application deadline is Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 12:00p.m. DST.
Purpose: The purpose of the Great Streets Initiative is to transform certain designated emerging commercial corridors into thriving, walkable, shoppable and inviting neighborhood experiences. The Great Streets Initiative does this by supporting existing businesses, attracting new businesses, increasing the District’s tax base, and creating new job opportunities for District residents.
The Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Grant program seeks to meet the existing and future COVID-19 related needs for the District’s small businesses located in Great Streets corridors and serve as an economic intervention and stabilization effort.
Background Information: The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), pursuant to the "Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Limited Grant-Making Authority Amendment Act 2016", effective October 8, 2016 (D.C. Law 21-160; D.C. Official Code § 1-328.04), invites the submission of applications for Great Streets Retail Small Business Grants. As part of this process, DMPED will first select Grantee(s) to administer the Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Grant program and, thereafter, Grantee(s) will create the application process, review applications, and disburse grant funds to selected applicants of the Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Grant program.
Available Funding: Based on the external and internal review panel recommendations, the Mayor’s budget priorities, the resources available, the goal of achieving a balance as to communities served, and the goals of the program, DMPED will make the final funding decision. DMPED will award up to $2,200,000.00 in grant funds to support the application process and disbursment of grant funds to successful applicants of the Great Streets Small Business Resiliency Grant.
List of the Great Street Corridors:
7th Street/Georgia Ave NW
Connecticut Avenue NW
Georgia Avenue NW
H Street – Bladensburg Road NE
Minnesota/Benning Road NE
Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE/
South Capitol Street SE/SW
New York Avenue NE
North Capitol Street NW/NE
Pennsylvania Avenue SE
Wisconsin Avenue NW
Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE
Rhode Island Avenue NE
U Street/14th Street NW (Adams Morgan/Mt. Pleasant/Columbia Heights)
For additional eligibility requirements and exclusions, please review the Request for Application (RFA) which will be posted at http://greatstreets.dc.gov by Friday, August 14, 2020.
Award Period: Effective date of grant agreement – Wednesday, September 30, 2020.
Contact Name: DMPED Grants Team Phone: 202-727-6365 Email: [email protected]
Deadline for Electronic Submission: Applicants must submit a completed online application to DMPED via the Gifts Online system no later than 12:00 PM DST on Thursday, August 20, 2020.
