Dear Neighbors, I hope this finds you well and you’ve been having an excellent fall so far. This year and next, I’m serving on the House Capital Investment Committee, the group of legislators charged with compiling the “bonding” bill, the investments our communities count on for public infrastructure like public safety facilities, water treatment plants, community centers, roads and bridges, public colleges and universities and more. Last year, I helped secure the funding needed to replace 3rd Street/Kellogg Bridge via this committee process, so I’m excited to be a part of the team this year that gets to help make opportunities available to other communities (especially those with significant socioeconomic disparities) across the state in need. Typically, every other year, the committee tours the state to check in with local communities about their requests of projects in need of state assistance. We kicked off our statewide tour earlier last month in Northwest Minnesota and have just completed our second stop in Northeast Minnesota today. You can find a list of our itineraries here and here. East Side Business Fund East Side Funders Group (ESFG) is currently accepting applications for the East Side Small Business Fund. The purpose of this fund is to provide relief grants to small and micro businesses on the East Side of Saint Paul that are currently experiencing a financial loss due to COVID-19. Grants are limited up to $1,000 per business. Applications will not be accepted after October 24, 2021. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: - Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for a grant:
- Physical location on the East Side of Saint Paul (Priority Dayton's Bluff & Payne Phalen).
- Must have a customer facing business (examples: retail, restaurant, gym, tailor, flower shop, etc.) with a storefront or be located in a market/mercado or business center.
- Business must be currently open
- Sales are currently being impacted by COVID-19
- Small and micro-sized businesses (less than 6 employees; and revenues under $1 million)
- Nonprofits are ineligible.
For more information or to apply: https://forms.gle/hoBW2GinYcYtrhAB9 Priority will be given to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) owned businesses or businesses where the majority of employees are BIPOC and businesses that have not been able to access government relief grants. Business Grants for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders CommunitiesAAPI business owners are invited to visit https://www.comcastrise.com/ to see if their business qualifies for the following Comcast Programs. Applicants will have the opportunity to receive marketing consultations, media placements, commercial creative production services, or technology services from Effectv and Comcast Business. Businesses in select markets may apply for $10,000 Grants! There are separate applications for the marketing and technology services awards and the Comcast RISE Investment Fund. Eligible business owners may apply for either, or both programs. Applications for the Comcast RISE Investment Fund will be accepted through October 14, 2021. Grants are available to businesses in the following areas Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties. Investment Fund - English Investment Fund - Arabic Investment Fund - Simplified Investment Fund - Traditional Investment Fund - Farsi Investment Fund - Hmong Investment Fund - Japanese Investment Fund - Korean Investment Fund - Tagalog Investment Fund - Vietnamese Keep in TouchPlease share with me your input by taking this short, four question survey. Our Minnesota Values Project is a statewide initiative my colleagues and I have started to help everyone thrive post-pandemic. It’s very important that Eastsiders’ voices are a part of this work. |