U District Vitality Grants

Eligible Locations

U District Vitality Grants are available to ground-floor businesses/nonprofit organizations that are (1) currently open and operating in the U District, and/or (2) expanding/relocating in the U District. Not sure if your business is within the U District? Click here to view a map.

Eligible Businesses/Organizations

If your business/organization meets the location eligibility requirements, it must also meet the following criteria to be eligible:

• Projects must have been started after February 29, 2020 and completed by May 31, 2023.
• Must be a for-profit business (with less than 500 employees) or non-profit organization (501c3 or 501c19)
• Must be located on the Ground-Floor level (must operate from a physical location that serves the general public)
• Must have an active City of Seattle Business License Number
• Must have an active Washington Unified Business Identifier (UBI) Number
• Must have (or attain within 14-days of award) a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number 
• Must be open and actively doing business
• Must have experienced direct economic disruption due to COVID-19

Ineligible Businesses/Organizations

If your business/organization falls under the following criteria, you are not eligible for this program:

• Business/organization is located/locating outside of the U District. Click here to view a map. 
• Business/organization already received funds for the same costs, whether from public or private sources.
• Business/organization is classified as “Adult Entertainment” regulated under Seattle Municipal Code 6.270.
• Business/organization is a Cannabis Shop, Grower, or Dispensary regulated under the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.
• Business/organization that is debarred or suspended from receiving federal funds Learn more about suspension & debarment and how to check your status. 
• Landlord/property owner that does not operate the ground-floor business open to the public. (Landlords/property owners may encourage eligible tenants to apply.)

Eligible Projects

The U District Vitality Grants provide two opportunities for eligible businesses.

Storefront Cleaning Fund:

Eligible projects include cleaning services that restore and rejuvenate your businesses/organizations ground-floor facade (started after February 29, 2020 and completed by May 31, 2023). This can include but is not limited to the exterior cleaning and/or graffiti removal of awnings, signage, masonry, windows, doors, entryways, and outdoor dining infrastructure. 

Tenant Improvement Fund:

Eligible projects include fixed asset (physical) improvements that meet the goal of improving business competitiveness, sustainability, customer attraction, and revenue generation (started after February 29, 2020 and completed by May 31, 2023). This can include but is not limited to exterior improvements like new awnings, signage, paint, lighting, windows, and outdoor dining infrastructure. This fund can also include but is not limited to interior improvements like equipment upgrades, kitchen hoods, HVAC systems, seating/dining tables for customers, painting, lighting, and flooring.

Ineligible Projects

Storefront Cleaning Fund:

The purpose of this fund is to clean the current components of your storefront. It can not be used to add new features or replace those that are physically damaged on your storefront. Projects that have been funded by other grants or recovery dollars are ineligible. Projects started before February 29, 2020 or completed after May 31, 2023 are also ineligible.

Tenant Improvement Fund:

The purpose of this fund is to upgrade the exterior and/or interior physical components of your business. It can not be used for non-physical investments including staff-time, salaries, rent, taxes, advertising, insurance, utilities, administrative costs, operating expenses or others related to the day-to-day running of the business. Projects that have been funded by other grants or recovery dollars are ineligible. Projects started before February 29, 2020 or completed after May 31, 2023 are also ineligible.

Businesses and organizations that have met all eligibility requirements can apply to either or both of these funds. The deadline for Cleaning Fund and Tenant Improvement Fund applications is February 22nd, 2023 at 5 p.m. PDT. If applying to the Tenant Improvement Fund, all intake interviews will need to be completed prior to applications being submitted. 

The application process for each of these funds is listed below:

Applying for the Storefront Cleaning Grant

If your business/organization is eligible, you can apply by clicking here. Once you click “submit,” your application is final. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions during the application process.

Applying for the Tenant Improvement Grant

This grant has more requirements to ensure these funds are used effectively in the goal of supporting your business/organization. There are three steps to complete this application:

Step 1: Intake Interview:
This interview is required for projects started (after February 29, 2020) and those to be completed (before May 31, 2023). The purpose of this interview is to (1) provide you the opportunity to ask questions, (2) allow UDP staff to provide suggestions to support you in submitting a competitive application, and (3) ensure your project meets the requirements of this fund. You must schedule and participate in this intake interview before you can submit your application. Interviews will be conducted virtually, by phone or google meet and will take no more than 30-minutes. Once your intake interview is complete, you will receive a link by email to submit your application.

Schedule Your Intake Interview with Daniel – Economic Development Manager
or
Schedule Your Intake Interview with Sophie – Economic Development Specialist

Step 2: Review U District Storefront Improvement Toolkit
After the completion of your intake interview, you will receive a pdf. document called the “U District Storefront Improvement Toolkit”. Before submitting your application, we strongly encourage you to review the best practices and considerations outlined in this resource as they will support you in submitting a competitive application.

Step 3: Submit Application
After the completion of your intake interview and review of the U District Storefront Improvement Toolkit, you will be eligible to submit your final application. An application link will be sent to you by email after you complete your intake interview. You will not have access to this link until the intake interview is complete.

Information to Prepare Before you Apply

We strongly recommend assembling the following materials before you begin your application so you can cut and paste the information into your application. Below is a sample of some of the information you will need to apply. 

• City of Seattle Business License Number
• Washington Unified Business Identifier (UBI) Number
• Federal Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number (If you do not have this number, you will have 14-days to obtain it if your application is awarded – we strongly encourage you to begin the process of obtaining it now.) Obtain your UEI number here
• Property-Owner Contact Information (name, phone, and email)
• Detailed description of the investments you have made or would like to make
• Photos that show completed project or examples of investments you would like to make 
• Financial Information 
  • Receipts for projects already completed 
  • Cost projections for all other projects

We also encourage you to review the entire application in advance to understand the full scope of information you will need to provide. Please note these forms are only intended to help you prepare in submitting your application. All applications must be submitted online.

• Review Storefront Cleaning Grant application questions
• Review Tenant Improvement Grant application questions

Please contact daniel@udistrictpartnership.org with any questions as you work on preparing this information in advance.

The U District Partnership is committed to helping you succeed and wants to see this unique investment have the greatest possible impact for your business/organization and the U District community. Please take advantage of the resources below: 

Information Sessions

The UDP will host two Information Sessions to provide you with the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about these funds. These workshops will be hosted online over zoom and are scheduled for:

• Information Session #1:
  February 8, 2023, between 3:00pm-4:30pm
  (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81486638996)
• Information Session #2:
  February 10, 2023, between 11:00am-12:30pm
  (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83419183261)

To join these workshops, please click on the zoom links next to each session no later than 5-minutes prior to the start time.

Translation Assistance

We will be circulating notices broadly throughout the neighborhood. If you anticipate a barrier to your participation due to limited English writing or speaking ability, visual impairment or would like to request assistance to access this application please contact: daniel@udistrictpartnership.org

翻译协助
如果您有英语的视听及读写障碍需要协助，我们会为社区提供相关的信息服务链接，请填写申请至 daniel@udistrictpartnership.org

통력 도움
여러 동래에 광고문을 방영할 예정입니다. 영어 문장 작성이나 읽기, 시각적 도움이 필요하신 분들은 지원서 작성에 도움을 드립니다. daniel@udistrictpartnership.org 으로 연락 주시기 바랍니다.

Asistencia de Traducción
Estaremos distribuyendo asistencia de traducción sobre avisos ampliamente de todo el vecindario, si nos avisa con anticipación sobre ayuda con el lenguaje para leer o hablar el idioma para poder participar por favor comunicarse con daniel@udistrictpartnership.org

Contact Us

We’re here to help! Please contact us if you have a question about this program. We can provide guidance and assistance as you work through your application. Please contact Daniel if you have questions:

Daniel Lokic, Economic Development Manager
daniel@udistrictpartnership.org
(773) 428-0844

Timeline

The deadline for Cleaning Fund and Tenant Improvement Fund applications is February 22nd, 2023 at 5 p.m. PDT. If applying to the Tenant Improvement Fund, all intake interviews will need to be completed prior to applications being submitted. 

Selection Process for Storefront Cleaning Grant & Tenant Improvement Grant

Funding for the Storefront Cleaning Grant will be distributed on a first come-first served basis.

All funding decisions for the Tenant Improvement Grant will be made by a Selection Panel, in which a group of community stakeholders will review and rank your application.

Selection Criteria for Tenant Improvement Fund

The U District Partnership and the Washington State Department of Commerce will fund these grants through a competitive process, carefully evaluating each application. For this particular program, the selection panel will score your application (maximum of 100 points) based on the following criteria:

Due to the strict requirements of these federal funds, this process needs to move quickly to comply with the Washington State Department of Commerce’s deadline. All projects must be completed before May 31, 2023. 

Cleaning Fund Awards

If awarded, the U District Partnership will commit to providing you with a grant up to $1000 once you meet the grant contract requirements. Awardees will be required to sign a contract – verifying their eligibility, agreeing to terms, and pledging to complete their project before May 31, 2023 (for projects yet to be completed). Awardees will be required to submit receipts as well as before/after pictures.

Tenant Improvement Fund Awards

If awarded, the U District Partnership will commit to providing you with a grant of up to $200,000 once you meet the grant contract requirements. Awardees will be required to sign a contract – verifying their eligibility, agreeing to terms, and pledging to complete their project before May 31, 2023 (for projects yet to be completed).

For projects already completed, receipts will be required at the time of application and funds will be disbursed within 90-days. For all other projects, awardees will need to submit receipts and demonstrate that their project is complete before the receival of any grant funds.

All projects must be completed by a vendor that is qualified and licensed to do business in Washington. The U District Partnership will only reimburse awardees for the costs associated with projects started after February 29, 2020 and completed by May 31, 2023. Awardees will only receive funding that covers projects already completed and paid for. Awardees must submit receipts to prove payment, no later than May 31, 2023. If an awardee does not follow these strict guidelines, they will lose grant funding, even if work has already begun.