FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2022
CONTACT INFO. :
Office of the Mayor
Patricia Resende
(401) 529-3207
City of East Providence awarded $150,000 “Take it Outside” Grant
EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – The City of East Providence has been selected by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation as a “Take it Outside” grant awardee.
The funds will enable the City to provide up to $10,000 in grant funding to East Providence small businesses that are working to take business services outside during the pandemic.
“We are grateful to Gov. Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation for granting us this award,” Mayor DaSilva said. “These funds will assist our East Providence small businesses with the necessary funds to obtain goods or services to increase outdoor opportunities for both the small businesses and our residents.”
The businesses may apply and use the funds to purchase chairs, tables, heat lamps, tents, outdoor Wi-Fi systems, masks, hand sanitizer, staffing, security, insurance costs related to specific outdoor activities, lighting, power sources, relevant signage, bike racks, and other costs for purchasing or obtaining goods or services that, in the sole discretion of the City, are deemed necessary to increase outdoor opportunities for impacted small businesses. Businesses may apply beginning May 2022.
Of the full $150,000 grant funding, 20 percent will be allocated to businesses in the following categories: Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)-owned businesses, Women Business Enterprise (WBE)-owned businesses, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)-owned businesses.
In response to the impact on small businesses, the City applied for the funds through a competitive process seeking more than $4.8 million in grant funding. East Providence businesses interested in the grant support should: APPLY for the Take it Outside 2022 Grant
Read more about Governor McKee’s Rhode Island Rebound – Take it Outside announcement here: https://eastprovidenceri.gov/news-announcements/planning-economic-develo...
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City of East Providence Take It Outside Business Assistance Grant Program
Governor Dan McKee announced approximately $4.8 million in awards that will enable eligible small businesses to expand their capacity to do business outdoors. Funded through Governor McKee’s Rhode Island Rebounds initiative, the Take It Outside program will fund 21 intermediary organizations to support outdoor activities for small businesses. The City of East Providence is a grantee of the initiative and was awarded up to $150,000 in grant funds to disburse funding to small businesses for eligible outdoor accommodations, increasing foot traffic to business corridors and retaining small businesses.
Through the implementation of the Take it Outside Program, the City of East Providence is responding to the public health emergency, working to stimulate the local economy by assisting small businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This form/application is for the use of eligible East Providence businesses in applying for grant funding to create or expand upon outdoor services associated with a variety of business service activities within the City including: the cost of purchasing, obtaining, delivering, or installing, or otherwise enabling the use of the following: chairs, tables, heat lamps, tents, outdoor Wi-Fi systems, masks, hand sanitizer, staffing, security, insurance costs related to specific outdoor activities, lighting, power sources, relevant signage, bike racks, and other costs for purchasing or obtaining goods or services that, in the sole discretion of the City, are deemed necessary to increase outdoor opportunities for impacted small businesses. Of the full $150,000 grant funding, 20 percent will be allocated to businesses in the following categories: Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)-owned businesses, Women Business Enterprise (WBE)-owned businesses, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)-owned businesses.
The maximum reimbursable amount allowed per request is $10,000. Please note that appropriate permits from the City of East Providence may be required if there are initiatives to create a new outdoor seating areas or other activities that may be subject to the review and approval by the City as a means of protecting public safety. These approvals may include permits issued by the City Fire Marshal and any additional permits that would need to be issued by the City’s Building Inspection Division. The City will coordinate with approved applicants to ensure that they are aware of all the approvals that will be needed for their requested supplies.
Establishments must meet the following criteria to be eligible for funding:
• Must be a business located within the City of East Providence.
• Must have a location that can safely accommodate the described layout subject to the approval of the City.
• Must plan to utilize the requested supplies starting in May 2022.
Submittal Requirements:
Applicants must complete the attached Application Form below including the Budget Sheet, must submit a W-9 form, along with photos and/or diagrams of the current area without improvements and a diagram of the proposed outdoor arrangement. Once installed the City Building Official and Fire Marshall will certify the installation for overall safety and compliance with appropriate City regulations.
The City reserves the right to deny or reduce the amount approved for any line item in the budget.
Applicants are welcome to submit additional attachments including letters of support, etc.
All establishments that receive grant funding approval through this program are required to complete a “Project Evaluation Form” prior to December 31st, 2022. The City will contact each establishment that receives funding in late November with the link to the evaluation form and instructions on filling the evaluation form out.
The City reserves the right to contact applicants and suppliers for clarification or additional information on their application. The City reserves the right to partially fund requests. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis but the City encourages applicants to return applications as soon as possible in order to be considered for funding. Funding for this program is limited.
Based on the City’s agreement with the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, business applicants are eligible for reimbursement of eligible expenses as described within this application packet and further described as follows:
The Grantee (City of East Providence) may utilize the Grant to provide eligible East Providence businesses with a cash reimbursement for the purchase of items listed on the approved Grant Agreement Budget of eligible materials. The City may provide cash reimbursement to East Providence businesses so long as: (a) The business is a restaurant, bar, outdoor entertainment venue, or other business as approved in writing by the City in its sole discretion; (b) The business has submitted to the City reasonably sufficient evidence of the purchase of the item(s) for which the business seeks reimbursement, including, but not limited to, a receipt, an invoice, a bank statement showing the purchase, or a bill of sale; and (c) The business complete the Attestation in the form set forth as Exhibit A (as attached to this application).
City Of East Providence “Take It Outside” Business Assistance Application Form
What is the name of your business establishment? _______________________________________
What is the name of the business establishment’s owner(s)? ________________________________
What is the business establishment’s address? __________________________________________
What is the best email to contact you at? _______________________________________________
What is the best phone number to contact you at? _______________________________________
Is this application to assist with the creation of a new outdoor area or to improve upon an existing one? ________________________________________________________________________
How many additional weeks of do you believe your establishment will benefit from if you are approved for funding? _____________________________________________________________
Briefly explain how your proposed outdoor accommodations will be configured and how the requested items will assist your business (Include diagrams and photos to assist in explaining).
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please fill out the project budget form provided on the page following this application and sign the attached attestation form (Attachment A).
The undersigned hereby agrees that if their establishment is selected for funding, they will adhere to the stated guidelines including but not limited to submitting before and after photos and completing the City’s project follow-up evaluation form prior to December 31st.
The undersigned affirms that the information stated in this application is accurate.
_______________________________
Business Owner’s Name – Printed
_________________________________ _________________________________
Business Owner’s Signature Date
_______________________________
Property Owner’s Name – Printed
_________________________________ _________________________________
Property Owner’s Signature Date
Project Budget:
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Number of
Units |
Price Per
Unit |
Total | Source of Item – Please attach all invoices for materials purchased |
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The grant award cap is $10,000 per business
ATTACHMENT A
ATTESTATION FOR REIMBURSEMENT
By signing this agreement you attest to the following guidelines:
(i) Have less than $1 million in annual gross revenues in either 2020 or 2021
(ii) Not be disbarred in the federal System of Account Management (SAM) and
(iii) Demonstrate a negative impact from the COVID-19 health pandemic by attesting to one of the following: it was forced to close or curtail its operations due to the pandemic or a government order pertaining to the pandemic; it experienced a material supply chain delay or disruption that negatively impacted its operations; it experienced increased cost as a result of the pandemic, it was forced to lay off workers as a result of the pandemic, or was impacted by the pandemic in some other way.
I (Name}___________________________, am the
{Title} _________________________ of
(Company Name} ________________________________ (“Company”).
I hereby confirm, acknowledge, and represent the following:
A. The Company has purchased and incurred the costs of the following items: [List items
Purchased under the Budget portion of the application].
B. Attached hereto as Exhibit 1 is proof of purchase for all of the items as referenced in Item A of this Attestation.
C. The total cost incurred by the Company in purchasing the items listed in paragraph A
is $_________________[Insert total] (“Purchase Price”).
D. No portion of the Purchase Price was paid with funds obtained from any other source
other than those funds derived from the Company’s normal business operations.
E. That the Company has not received any reimbursement for any portion of the Purchase
Price from any other source.
F. That the Company is duly registered to conduct business in the State of Rhode Island
with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
G. That the Company is in good standing with the Rhode Island Division of Taxation and the City of East Providence and has no outstanding tax obligations owed to the State of Rhode Island or the City of East Providence.
Name and Title (Printed): _________________________________________________
Signature: ______________________________________________________
Subscribed and sworn before me this ______ day of _______________, 2022.
Notary Public: ____________________ My commission expires: ________________
