St. Paul Reporter

City of Saint Paul issued the following announcement on Oct. 19.

Today, Mayor Carter announced new grant support for small businesses and cultural organizations impacted by COVID-19. As part of the City of Saint Paul’s $23.5 million in federal CARES Act funding, $3.5 million will be available through grant supports led by the City’s Department of Planning and Economic Development to provide:

• Three new grant opportunities targeted to:
  • Live music venues and movie theaters
  • Food halls
  • Small business support organizations that provide technical assistance, training, commercial corridor marketing, and/or financial assistance to small businesses or that are a membership-based business association or chamber of commerce
• Additional funding for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations who applied to the fall 2020 round of Cultural STAR.
• Additional grants to previous Saint Paul Bridge Fund applicants who did not receive a grant.

“The many needs of our community persist as we continue to endure this pandemic economy,” said Mayor Melvin Carter. “This emergency relief helps ensure our small businesses and cultural organizations can continue to weather the challenges all of us face.”

“Businesses and cultural organizations need the flexibility to make their own decisions about what comes next,” said City Council President Amy Brendmoen. “These grants will relieve some economic pressures and allow time to plan.”

“This new funding is another resource the City has been able to quickly deploy to serve the immediate needs of our small business and cultural community.” said Department of Planning and Economic Director Nicolle Goodman. “We will continue working diligently on new opportunities as needs evolve.”

Original source can be found here.