District Resilience Grants

Portland neighborhood businesses are being hit hard by the Coronavirus crisis. To help business districts provide emergency support to their members, Venture Portland is offering one-time only District Resilience Grants to be used for district staffer compensation (if applicable) or district marketing and/or business support. To disburse the funds as quickly as possible, the application process has been simplified and there is no required match.

Business District Eligibility:

  • Current Venture Portland member
  • Up-to-date filings with all non-profit regulating government entities 
  • Complete all previous Venture Portland grants and submit all required grant paperwork
  • Staffing contract payments current through 3/31/20 (if applicable)

Use of Funds:

  • For districts with staff – Up to $3,000 toward staff compensation 4/1-5/31/20
  • For districts without staff – Up to $3,000 for district-wide marketing and/or mini grants to affected member businesses

Requirements:

  • Funds must be fully spent by 6/1/20
  • Only 1 District Resilience Grant per member district
  • All expenses must be verified by receipts and/or invoices that must be submitted to Venture Portland no later than 6/15/20

Process:

  • To apply, a district’s President, Treasurer and/or Staffer must participate in a conference call with Jacob and Joy to discuss the project
  • Conference calls will take place the week of 3/30/20
  • Jacob will then follow-up with an email summary of the project to be approved by the President and Treasurer
  • Funds will be distributed on a rolling basis between 4/1/20 and 5/1/20
  • To schedule a conference call, email jacob@ventureportland.org