Geneva Microenterprise Assistance Program

The Geneva Microenterprise Assistance Program (GMAP) provides Geneva, New York small businesses, start-ups, and entrepreneurs with grants of $5,000 to $30,000 to support business start-up and growth. Administered by the City of Geneva's Grant Coordinator (with additional program delivery support from a training consultant) and funded by the New York State Office of Community Renewal through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Microenterprise Assistance Program, the program has $150,000 in total grant funding available. The GMAP is designed to meet the CDBG National Objective of benefiting low- and moderate-income (LMI) persons through LMI job creation and LMI microenterprise assistance, and aims to help launch or grow at least seven small businesses (including at least four owned by LMI persons) and create at least three new LMI-qualifying jobs.

To qualify, applicants must be a private for-profit business (sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation) with an existing or planned business location within the City of Geneva, currently have five or fewer employees (including the owner), and be up to date on all local, state, and federal taxes and obligations. Applicants must either have majority ownership held by LMI individuals or commit to creating at least one new full-time equivalent (FTE) job for an LMI individual. Businesses that received prior MAP funding will be required to create at least one new LMI job regardless of owner LMI status. If more than one FTE job is created as a result of GMAP funding, at least 50 percent of the jobs created must be made available to or taken by LMI individuals. Applicants must also commit to a 10 percent equity (cash) match of the awarded grant amount and complete an OCR-approved entrepreneurial training program (either the Fast Track to Business Start-up offered by the Onondaga Small Business Development Center, the Business Startup Program offered by an Ibero Business Center, or the customized training program offered at no cost by the City of Geneva) before incurring any grant-related costs.

Grant funds may be used for working capital for equipment, furniture, inventory, operations, salaries, and hardware and software directly related to business operations. Funds may not be used to pay off existing debt, for lobbying, religious, or political activities, to purchase real estate, for short-term rental properties or private recreational facilities, or for construction-related activities. Grants are disbursed on a reimbursement basis: expenditures must be paid by the awardee and submitted to City staff for reimbursement with relevant invoices and receipts as proof of payment. The equity match must be documented on a pro rata basis before any grant disbursements will be processed, and no disbursements will be issued until the awardee submits a certificate of completion for the required entrepreneurial training program (or receives an approved waiver based on completion within the prior 24 months).

Applications are reviewed by a Grant Review Committee that scores each eligible application across ten criteria (out of 40 total points), including LMI ownership, minority/woman/veteran ownership, start-up status (less than 6 months in operation), whether the project will fill a vacant, street-level storefront in downtown or a neighborhood business district, reasonableness of costs, project feasibility, owner experience, size of the match relative to the grant amount, job creation, and expected economic multiplier effects (such as attracting visitors or committing to procure goods and services locally).