Durham County Government is seeking proposals for an organization, or a collection of organizations, to provide support to small businesses that have been adversely impacted by the pandemic through creating and maintaining a comprehensive entrepreneurial support system that provides targeted support for qualifying small business operating in Durham County.
Donor Name: Durham County Government
State: North Carolina
County: Durham County (NC)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/11/2023
Size of the Grant: $1,500,000
Details:
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions for many small businesses, the impacts of which are still being felt by the affected businesses and the broader community. These challenges have been especially acute for minority- and women-owned businesses, as research has clearly shown that the negative economic impacts of the pandemic have been even more dramatic for small businesses owned by people of color and women. In particular, Black-owned businesses have been found to have suffered the largest earnings losses during the period, while women-owned business have been found to have suffered the longest disruptions in operations during the pandemic. These disproportionate impacts from the pandemic on minority- and women-owned businesses only serve to further exacerbate inequities that were already in existence within the community before the pandemic. While substantial resources have been deployed at the Federal, State, and local levels to address the challenges faced by minority- and women-owned businesses during the pandemic, further efforts are required to continue to support the recovery of these businesses and to mitigate the negative economic impacts for the community associated with the challenges those enterprises have faced since the inception of the pandemic.
As the second phase of the County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Nonprofit Grant Program, this Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Small Business Support Grant Program represents a key part of Durham County Government’s efforts to use ARPA funding to help the community respond to and recover from the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Goals
To address these challenges within Durham County, the BOCC approved framework for utilizing Federal pandemic relief funding, described above, approved the use of ARPA funding to provide technical assistance and other support services to small businesses operating in Durham County that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Through leveraging organizations that have experience providing support services to small businesses, this effort will attempt to accomplish of the following goals:
- To provide small business owners that have been adversely impacted by the pandemic access to training and technical support,
- To facilitate the attainment of relevant certifications to broaden opportunities for small business owners to participate in government procurement, and
- To successfully connect owners to resources and funding opportunities that could help grow their small businesses.
Funding Information
$1,500,000 is available for Small Business Support Grant Program.
Eligible Activities
To accomplish these goals, the County is requesting proposals for grants from organizations that have previous experience providing the above types of services to small business owners in Durham County. In particular, the County is seeking proposals for projects that will encompass the following activities:
- Establish and Maintain an Entrepreneurial Support System for Small Business Owners Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
- The first priority for the grant program to be operated under this RFP is for an organization to create and maintain a comprehensive entrepreneurial support system for qualifying small business operating in Durham County that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. The organization that receives funding will be responsible for the following activities:
- Lead, facilitate, and leverage a network of organizations that provide support, counseling and technical assistance to Durham’s entrepreneurs and small businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic.
- Guide a system of entrepreneurial service providers utilizing a recruitment, intake, assessment, and referral model.
- Build capacity and collaboration of service providers through coordinated programming and support.
- Align community, institutional, and financial partners around a shared vision and executed strategy.
- Facilitate community input on small business priority services through surveys and other outreach to guide program priorities.
- Through a Request for Proposals or other open application process, identify and utilize technical assistance providers on a pro-rated basis for targeted business needs.
- Effectively market the system to all of Durham County to maximize entrepreneur and support organization participation.
- Strengthen and complement existing small business systems by building on available resources, programs, and partnerships.
- The first priority for the grant program to be operated under this RFP is for an organization to create and maintain a comprehensive entrepreneurial support system for qualifying small business operating in Durham County that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. The organization that receives funding will be responsible for the following activities:
- Provide Targeted Small Business Support for Qualifying Small Business
- In addition to creating the entrepreneurial support system, the second priority will be for the project to include specific strategies for targeted support for qualifying small businesses within Durham County. Targeted support activities should include the following:
- Help small businesses and entrepreneurs adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing training, counseling, and technical support, while successfully connecting qualifying small businesses to resources and funding opportunities.
- Provide resources, counseling, and technical assistance to increase the capacity and success of entrepreneurs through measured results.
- Recruit entrepreneurs into the system for assessment and referral to partner service providers to address priority needs.
- Maintain an ongoing relationship with entrepreneurs to track progress and address service needs as they arise.
- Assist entrepreneurs with becoming capital ready and connecting them to funding opportunities accordingly.
- Host convening events for entrepreneurs and support organizations that address relevant issues and priority areas of focus.
- Prioritize serving underrepresented entrepreneurs that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, businesses that are certified as an Historically Underutilized Business (HUB), or North Carolina Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Certified.
- In addition to creating the entrepreneurial support system, the second priority will be for the project to include specific strategies for targeted support for qualifying small businesses within Durham County. Targeted support activities should include the following:
Eligibility Criteria
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status are eligible to apply for funding. Individuals, businesses (Sole Proprietors, Partnerships, Limited Liability Corporations, and Corporations), or any company or organized group that is not a government-affiliated agency or nonprofit will not be allowed to apply.
- Community-based groups with a fiscal sponsor that has a 501(c)(3) status are also eligible. As the County anticipates awarding only a single award through this RFP, any project with multiple partners should submit only one application for the project. In these circumstances, one organization with 501(c)(3) status must receive the funds and provide fiscal oversight for the entire project. A nonprofit may “pass-through” all or some of the funds as sub-grants or microgrants to other 501(c)(3) and community-based organizations or groups. However, individuals, businesses (SoleProprietors, Partnerships, Limited Liability Corporations, and Corporations), or any company or organized group that is not a government-affiliated agency or nonprofit are not eligible for any subgrants or microgrants
For more information, visit Durham County Government.
