Mayor Jenny Durkan Announces Recipients of the Neighborhood Economic Recovery Grants – SPD Blotter

SEATTLE(December16,2021) Mayor Durkanand the Seattle Office of Economic Developmentannounce thegrantrecipients of the Neighborhood Economic RecoveryFund.

In August, Mayor Durkan announcedmore than$6million in neighborhood recoverythrough the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CLFRF) established under the American Rescue Plan Act.(ARPA).Funding was invested through both direct grants to neighborhood business district organizations and publicrequestfor proposals (RFP) to support community driven solutionsfrom a broader range of eligible applicantsincludingbusiness organizations, community organizations, cultural districts, cultural organizations, arts organizations, small businesses such as community event producers, artists, consultants, or a collection of individuals supporting neighborhood strategies with broadly shared benefits.

From the neighborhood funding,$1.35million was set asidefor theNeighborhood Economic Recovery Fund(NERF)RFPtosupport community-led strategies to reignite the local economy with an intentional focus on promoting racial equity.Neighborhoodsare drivers of local economies, supporting local entrepreneurship, employment, and wealth creation and therefore a key driver of equitable economic recovery from the pandemic.

Neighborhood business districts in Seattle are the heart of our neighborhoods and centers of community, commerce and culture, which is why we quickly directed federal funding toestablishedbusiness districtswho have been working tirelessly toextend lifelines tolocal businesses and revitalize our neighborhoods,said Mayor Durkan. The Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund RFP opensupparticipation in recovery efforts toevenmore community-drivenand arts and cultureactivities,particularly organizations that lead with equity,and we congratulate the awardees.

As we developed our framework for economic recovery in Seattle, we knew that we could not direct all focus and resources to downtown exclusivelyas our neighborhoods and neighborhood commercial cores across the city were also devastated by COVID. We also knew that in order to have thriving communities, we would need to be intentional and center these investments in projects that not only stimulated economic activitybut also served our communities that were disproportionately impacted by COVIDparticularly Black, Indigenous and other communities of color. said Pamela Banks, Interim Director of the Office of Economic Development. Through our neighborhood investments we are supporting community solutions that will help us holistically recover. I am amazed at the innovative ideas from our Seattle community and believe these projects will help create a better Seattle.

To address the negative impactsof theCOVID-19 pandemic and related public health measures had on neighborhoods and our local economy, theNeighborhood EconomicRecovery Investmentwill fund recovery strategies and activities such as:

Selection of awardees and final grant amounts were based on:

As soon as the pandemic hit in early March 2020, the leadership board of the Central Area Collaborative(CAC)decided to give direct funding to small businesses with no strings attached, said Dennis Comer, Executive Directorof CAC. We knew then that our community of color would be hit the hardest and last in line for any economic relief caused by the pandemic. The CACis honored to be recognized as the Central Area neighborhoods organization of choiceand wearegrateful for being continually entrusted with stewardship of public funds at any level and for being allowed to continue the advocacy for equitable access in economic development recovery in a post pandemic role as a testament to our early actions helping to quantify the needs.

Supporting our under-resourced entrepreneurs and small businesses, especially BIPOC-owned enterprises, is so critical at this time, so they not only survive through COVID, but are positioned to thrive. This leads to a vibrant local economy and flourishing neighborhoods. said B.J. Stewart, Chief Operations Officer, Urban Impact.

We are incredibly grateful and excited to be the recipient of the Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund. This grant will have a big impact in bringing people back to the neighborhood and revitalize small businesses by helping us improve safety and sanitation of the 12th Ave Square Park and the adjacent streets. We cant wait to get started!Teresa Nguyen,BaBarCo-Owner, 12th Ave Recovery Collaborative.

Neighborhood Economic Recovery FundRequest forProposalsaward recipients include:

Direct grant recipientsto business district organizationsinclude:

The Citys Neighborhood Economic Recovery Grant is a lifeline that will allow us to build on the resilience of the people who live, work and play in the U District, said Maureen Ewing, Executive Director of the University Heights Center. Throughout the pandemic the U District lost dozens of our long-standing small businesses due to the dramatic 66% decrease in foot traffic and other issues exacerbated by the pandemic. With the City of Seattles support, a collaboration of U District businesses and nonprofit organizations will steward this generous grant to have a tangible impact in supporting our eclectic small businesses, over 65% of whom are woman-and-BIPOC-owned, to continue to thrive.Maureen Ewing, Executive Director, University Heights

Visit theOED websitetoreview thefull funding amounts of all direct grant recipients,RFPawardees,anddescriptionsofallfunded projects.

OEDcontinues to invest in economic recoverysupportsfor small businesses, workers, and neighborhoods. In addition to the Neighborhood Recovery Investments, OED has invested $4 million instabilization grantsfor small businesses, announced a$2 million expansionto the Small Business Stabilization Fund to support small businesses and non-profits required to enforce vaccination verification in King County, launchedShop to the Beata recovery program that matches local musicians with small retail businesses to provide in-store performances during peak business hours, help increase foot traffic and sales for retailers, and provide competitive pay for musicians who lost significant income due to the impacts of COVID-19, andrecentlylaunchedSeattle Restoreda new program focused on activating vacant commercial storefronts in Downtown Seattle neighborhoods such as Westlake, Belltown, Pioneer Square, and Chinatown-International District (CID).

See the original post:

Mayor Jenny Durkan Announces Recipients of the Neighborhood Economic Recovery Grants - SPD Blotter