The Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program (NBDIP) provides funding support for specific project proposals in recognized Neighborhood Business Districts (NBDs) in Cincinnati.
Donor Name: City of Cincinnati
State: Ohio
City: Cincinnati
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/28/2023
Size of the Grant: $250,000
Details:
The Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program (NBDIP) is an award-winning program that allocates annual funding for improvement projects that attract and retain small businesses in all Cincinnati neighborhood business districts (NBDs).
The program is highly versatile. It can directly benefit a business district with parking additions, façade improvements, or building renovations. It can also provide indirect benefits by funding streetscapes or wayfinding signage to make the district more appealing to customers and residents.
Funding Information
The funding requests are categorized into two categories: (i) a major request for a proposed project or (ii) a minor request for a proposed project. There is no funding limit for major projects; however, applicants should realize that projects that have a higher private-to-public funding ratio are more likely to be funded. Minor projects should not exceed $50,000. For each recognized NBD, a maximum of two (2) funding requests, consisting of one major and one minor request, for projects located in such NBD, can receive NBDIP funding each program year. In aggregate no more than $250,000 dollars will be awarded for funding of minor project requests.
Eligible Projects
- Projects eligible to receive NBDIP funding must be located within a recognized NBD and create a positive impact on businesses and/or create jobs in the NBD, and be able to commence upon an award of NBDIP funds and completed within 2 years of award, should the application be successful.
- Eligible projects generally fall within the following categories:
- Property Development
- Acquisition
- Redevelopment
- Site preparation for commercial development
- Façade Improvements
- Public Parking Improvements
- Including public parking lot development
- Right-of-Way Improvements
- Streetscape improvements
- Signage
- Gateway
- Lighting
- Business District Branding
- Other NBD Infrastructure Improvements
Eligibility Criteria
Any business association, community council, community development corporation, or other entity meeting the following criteria may apply for NBDIP funding:
- Be a non-profit entity recognized by the State of Ohio and in good standing with the state.
- Have articles of incorporation, articles of organization, or other required formation document(s) on file with the State of Ohio.
- Have bylaws, a code of regulations, a membership agreement, or similar document governing the operation of the entity. The document must have been formally adopted by the entity, and it must:
- provide rules for determining eligibility for membership in the entity and the voting rights of members;
- provide rules for the appointment or election of directors, officers, trustees, manager, or similar authorized representatives;
- provide rules for holding and conducting meetings which, among other things, require the keeping of minutes and specify how votes are to be conducted; and
- explicitly state that no person will be barred from membership in the entity, prohibited from voting, or denied employment with the entity by reason of race, sex, age, handicap, religion, or national origin.
- The entity must demonstrate that some portion of its purpose is to promote the health and growth of a recognized NBD. Evidence of such purpose may be shown in any one or more of the following ways:
- in the language of the entity’s formation documents;
- in the language of the entity’s governing documents;
- by providing minutes of meetings (including sign-in sheets of meetings, if available) of the entity that show evidence of the purpose; or
- any other documentation of the entity that shows evidence of the purpose that is acceptable to DCED.
- The entity must demonstrate they have capacity to carry out an NBDIP project by appointing an NBDIP Project Manager with the qualifications outlined in Attachment II capable of completing a project in a timely manner.
For more information, visit NBDIP.
