North St. Louis Commercial Corridor Grant Program

Overview

The City of St. Louis has allocated $37 Million of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), passed through the Community Development Administration, for the administration of a North St. Louis Commercial Corridor Grant Program as defined within Board Bill 82.  

The application for the North St. Louis Commercial Corridor Grant Program will be made available at 5:00 P.M. on June 1, 2022.  Applications for this program will be accepted until further notice. 

Read business eligibility and criteria carefully before applying. 

On This Page

Geographic Eligibility

• Small businesses and nonprofits located in one of the 11eligible North St. Louis Commercial Corridors. 
• Small businesses and nonprofits located in a HUD Qualified Census Tract (QCT) and are within a neighborhood that contains a portion of one of the North St. Louis Commercial Corridors.  To qualify, a small business or nonprofit organization must fill a gap in needed professional or health services or enhanced retail or cultural offerings in the neighborhood (Community Need).

This application is to support the Small Business Stabilization & Expansion and Community Need programs. An application for Small Business and Community Enhancement grants will be available at a later date. 

Geographic Locations

Please review maps to determine corridor, HUD Qualified Census Tract (QCT) and eligible neighborhood that contains a portion of one of the North St. Louis Commercial Corridors. 

• North Grand Blvd. (will run along North Grand Blvd. from Delmar to Blair)  
• Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. (will run from North Jefferson Avenue to the City Limits)
• Florissant Ave. (will run along Florissant Avenue from St. Louis Avenue to 14th Street)
• North Broadway (will run along North Broadway from Halls Ferry Road to Christian Avenue)
• Natural Bridge Ave. (will run westerly along Natural Bridge Avenue from Fair Ave. to the city limits)
• West Florissant Ave. (will run along W. Florissant Avenue from Highway 70 to Acme Ave.)
• Delmar West (will run along Delmar Blvd. from Union to N. Taylor Avenue)
• Delmar East (will run along Delmar Blvd. from N. Spring Ave. to N. 23rd Street)
• Goodfellow (will run north on Goodfellow Avenue from Delmar Blvd to the city limits)
• Union Ave. (will run along Union Avenue from Page Ave. to West Florissant Avenue)
• Page Ave. (will run along Page Avenue from Vandeventer Avenue to Compton Avenue)

Grant Programs

Community Need Grants

Small businesses and nonprofit organizations that are located in a HUD Qualified Census Tract (QCT) and are within a neighborhood that contains a portion of one of the North St. Louis Commercial Corridors can also apply for the funds. To qualify, a small business or nonprofit organization must fill a gap in needed professional or health services or enhanced retail or cultural offerings in the neighborhood.

Small Business Stabilization & Expansion Grants

Small businesses and nonprofits along each corridor can apply for stabilization and expansion from these grants.  

1. Stabilization – providing operational support for a business to maintain standard operations.  
2. Expansion – defined as business activity that supports the growth of the business and its ability to scale to respond to market opportunities.  
3. Façade and Storefront Improvements Program – The program is intended to help business and property owners make exterior and storefront improvements to enhance the value of their business, while improving the quality of experience for their customers and improving the vitality of North St. Louis neighborhoods. 

Compliance Requirements

Per federal program guidelines, all funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024, and must be expended by December 31, 2026, therefore project readiness is an essential part of this application. The American Rescue Plan Act requires that the payments from the Fiscal Recovery Fund only be used to cover expenses that respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts, therefore qualification of the project and the ability to report both project spending and performance in compliance with federal regulations must be demonstrated for an application to be selected for SLDC consideration. Each recipient must develop and implement effective internal controls to ensure that funding decisions under the SLFRF award and this grant program, constitute eligible uses of funds, and document determinations. 

No elected or appointed officials of the City of St. Louis, employee of the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), or board members of The St. Louis Local Development Company or any of their immediate family members may have an ownership interest in this business. Immediate family ties include (whether by blood, marriage, or adoption) the spouse, parent (including a stepparent), child (including a stepchild), brother, sister (including a stepbrother or stepsister), grandparent, grandchild, and in-laws.

Applications or individual projects may be disqualified for any of the following reasons: 

• Failure to demonstrate how the project meets federal qualification requirements in compliance with the Final Rule Overview. 
• Failure to align with the NCCC Program Guidelines or other SLDC requirements 
• Failure to show that the project(s) can be completed before December 31, 2026 
• Failure to provide all required attachments 
• Projects must be related and reasonably proportional to the negative impact that was experienced by those who will benefit from the project. Uses of funds that bear no relation or are grossly disproportionate to the negative impacts experienced will not be considered for funding. 

Required Documents

• Review each program for required document
• SLDC reserves the right to request additional information to make informed decisions within the grant selection process

How To Apply

The application will become available to download beginning at 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Applicants will complete the geographic eligibility verification and gain access to the formal application that will be in the form of a fillable pdf. Please download and complete the application in its entirety. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Handwritten applications will NOT be accepted.  

Submit Completed Application

Email to sldc-grants@stlouis-mo.gov; include within the subject line RE: North St. Louis Commercial Corridors and your business name. 

Hand Deliver to SLDC: 

SLDC 
Attn: North St. Louis Commercial Corridors   
1520 Market Street 
Suite 2000 
St. Louis, MO 63103 

Mail-In to SLDC: 

SLDC         
Attn: North St. Louis Commercial Corridors
1520 Market Street 
Suite 2000 
St. Louis, MO 63103 

Businesses that do not have access to a computer are encouraged to visit your local library branch for computer access to complete the application. 

Note that applicants should not have any outstanding issues with the Collector of Revenue. This includes being current on all payments and submission of all required reports. (The E234 Earnings Tax Report is a frequent reason for businesses failing to receive approval.) All personal property taxes must also be paid. 

You are strongly encouraged to contact the Collector of Revenue and the License Collector’s Office if you are not sure about your standing. Funding will not be approved if there are delinquencies with either office. Below is the contact information for both offices. 

Collector of Revenue City of St. Louis
City Hall
1200 Market Street
Room 102-104
St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone: 314 622-4111
Fax: 314 622-4413

https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/collector 

License Collector’s Office
1200 Market Street
Room 110
St. Louis, MO 63103
Email: lco@stlouis-mo.gov
Phone: 314- 622-4528
Fax: 314-622-3275

https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/license

Start Application Process

To begin the application process you will be asked to verify your geographic elegibility. 

Start Application Process

Information Webinar

North St. Louis Commercial Corridor Grant Program
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 6:00pm

Information for joining the webinar is below:

• Web or Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87373812802
• Telephone – Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
  • US: +1 646 558 8656  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 669 900 9128  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 346 248 7799

If you missed the webinar, you can access the recording at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKMGj0RmfEc 

FAQ

Please submit questions to sldc-grants@stlouis-mo.gov. FAQ responses will be linked on this page following the June 14, 2022 Information Webinar and updated bi-weekly thereafter. 

Contact

If you submitted an application and have not heard from SLDC (via email from sldc-grants@stlouis-mo.gov) within 7 days that your application has been received, email sldc-grants@stlouis-mo.gov (Include within the subject line RE: Confirmation Request - North St. Louis Commercial Corridors Grant Program and your business name).