In this month’s edition of the G/FL Economic Recovery Series, we are featuring a number of topics on small business opportunities including restaurant and agriculture, child care and low-income support for broadband access
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The NYS Office of Community Renewal has released details on the expanded Community Development Block Grant program. With funding provided through the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), this program has approximately $60 million in funding available to communities to prepare, prevent, and/or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications for funding, available to units of local governments, are now being accepted and awarded on a rolling basis through August 27th, 2021.
Individual awards will range between $100,000 and $2,000,000 based on the applicant and proposed activities associated. Eligible activities under this program will fall into one of the following categories:
· Small Business Assistance
· Public Facilities / Infrastructure
· Housing Improvements
· Public Services
· Special Projects (Critical needs projects that fall outside of above activities but still meet HUD’s National Objectives)
There are several key differences in this program and traditional CDBG funding:
· Project proposals must be directly connected to COVID-19
· Funds under this program are available to both non-entitlement and entitlement communities
· 12-month contract requirement, stressing the critical importance of project readiness
· Pre-award costs are eligible for funding
The application process for this funding is also distinct from previous CDBG applications. The first step in the process is to submit a Project Consultation Form. This form will provide OCR the opportunity to assess the project eligibility and alignment with HUD national objectives. OCR staff will then review, share feedback with the applicant, and then invite the applicant to submit a full application.
G/FLRPC will provide a full comprehensive summary of the program in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Please click on the image for more information.
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NYS Consolidated Funding Application
The eleventh round of the CFA is now open with over $750 million in funding available through more than 30 state programs.
Round XI includes core capital and tax-credit funding that will be combined with a wide range of existing agency programs totaling over $750 million. The core funding includes $225 million in grants and tax credits to fund high value regional priority projects. The Budget also makes over $525 million in resources from state agencies available to support community revitalization and business growth consistent with the existing REDC plans through the CFA process.
Application Deadline is July 30th at 4pm. Please click the picture for more information.
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Low income broadband announcement from governor
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Affordability of reliable high-speed internet has been a key hurdle in addressing the increasingly-widening digital divide. Even the most basic internet plans are cost-prohibitive to millions of New Yorkers, fueling economic and social inequities throughout the State. As such, the Governor has announced a first-in-the-nation broadband program requiring internet providers to offer $15 per month high-speed internet options to low-income households. This program is available to households who are eligible or receiving free or reduced-price lunch, supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, Medicaid benefits, the senior citizen or disability rent increase exemptions, or an affordability benefit from a utility. Given these eligibility parameters, the new program is expected to impact of 7 million New Yorkers across 2.7 million households.
For more information please click the image above.
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Proposed $5 billion investment in Child Care
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The Governor has announced that the NYS FY 2022 Budget includes a $5 Billion-dollar investment in Child Care to improve affordability, access, and support to New York State families. To read more about the announcement and New York’s historic commitment to supporting child care, please click the image for more information.
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SBA releases new details on Restaurant Revitalization Fund
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The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has released new details for its Restaurant Revitalization Fund program. The SBA is now currently accepting applications for this program that provides funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses to stay open by providing funding equal to the establishment’s pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location.
Eligible Entities Include:
· Restaurants
· Food stands, food trucks, food carts
· Caterers
· Bars, saloons, lounges, taverns
· Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
· Bakeries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
· Brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
· Breweries and/or microbreweries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
· Wineries and distilleries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
· Inns (onsite sales of food and beverage to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
· Licensed facilities or premises of a beverage alcohol producer where the public may taste, sample, or purchase products
Applications are now being accepted through the exhaustion of available funds. Please click the attached image for more information.
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ESD Announces Application window for Round 3 Grow NY Food and Ag business competition
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Applications to Round 3 of the Grow-NY & Agriculture business competition are now being accepted. The competition invites innovative food & ag entrepreneurs from around the global pitch their businesses for a chance to win $1 million. The goal of the competition is to grow an enduring food and agriculture innovation cluster in the Grow-NY region – comprised of counties located in the Central NY, Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier regions.
Applications for the competition will be accepted through July 15th, 2021.
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USEDA Announces Changes to Funding Priorities
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The U.S. Economic Development Administration has announced an update to the agency’s investment principles. These principles provide a cohesive vision that ensure the agency’s investments are leading to robust economic assets that improve the resilience of regional economies. The updated investment priorities include:
· Equity
· Recovery & Resilience
· Workforce Development
· Manufacturing
· Technologically-Based Economic Development
· Environmentally-Sustainable Development
· Exports & FDI
These priorities will be crucially important to achieve the agency’s goals and will guide future programming.
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Small Business Administration (SBA) COVID-19 Resources
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The US Small Business Administration provides small business owners and entrepreneurs with resources to stay in business. The SBA is the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small business and provides counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nation’s only go-to resource and voice for small businesses. The SBA has compiled a knowledge dashboard of all of the federal source of COVID-19 relief options. These guidance and resource documents are continually updated to provide the most up-to-date information on programs to assist small businesses.
Click the picture for more information.
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Launching the HeatSmart Finger Lakes North Program
Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council along with their partners at Habitat for Humanity of Wayne County and PathStone Corporation held the launch of the HeatSmart Finger Lakes North Campaign on May 5, 2021.
The Heat Smart Finger Lakes North Campaign is a limited-time New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) funded program intended to jump-start the rate of homeowners and small business owners adopting both building envelope and heat pump technologies. The goal is to create an easy-access pathway for anybody in the Finger Lakes region to improve their home’s energy efficiency through the use of expert energy advisors. HeatSmart advisors empower individuals by helping them apply for incentives and navigate the HVAC world. Our advisors can provide the informational tools each resident needs to make their own positive decisions based on the best information available and with confidence in a path forward. Our mission is to make positive solutions available to everyday people.
To learn more and be connected with a HeatSmart advisor please visit https://heatsmartflx.org/ or click on the image to go to the website.
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Local Government Workshop and Other Trainings
The G/FLRPC Spring Local Government Workshop is wrapping up. Thank you to all who attended and a big thank you to our presenters from the Native American Cultural Center, the National Park Service, New York State Department of State, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Wendel, and Barton and Loguidice. Let us know what worked, what didn't, and what topics you'd like to see for the Fall Local Government Workshop! jharemza@gflrpc.org or 585-454-0190 x12.
If you missed our LGW, please consider the great sessions our friends at the Tug Hill Commission have put together, ongoing until the end of June. Topics include Comprehensive Plans, Snow and Ice Removal, the Underground Railroad in Upstate New York, Regulating Short Term Rentals, Broadband Expansion, and, perhaps of particular interest, local impacts of the new cannabis law in NYS. More info and registration here: https://tughill.org/upcoming-workshops/
In addition, our friends at the NYS Department of State continue to offer many resources from publications, to pre-recorded sessions, to online webinars https://dos.ny.gov/training-assistance
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