Path to Prosperity Business Competition

The Prosperity Investment Program (PIP) provides Portland businesses and commercial property owners with reimbursable matching grants of up to $75,000 to fund tenant improvements and small to large scale building improvements. Administered by Prosper Portland, the program covers up to 75 percent of approved project hard and soft costs, with the grantee responsible for the remaining 25 percent match. PIP is designed to support business competitiveness and property redevelopment in order to increase access to quality employment, foster wealth creation through business ownership, and build healthy, vibrant commercial corridors. Eligible hard costs include signage, lighting, storefront improvements, mechanical systems, tenant improvements, roofs, sidewalks, parking lots, landscaping, and other permanent fixtures. Eligible soft costs (capped at $25,000) include architectural, engineering, environmental, market, or financial analysis services associated with physical construction. To qualify, properties must be located within one of Portland's eligible Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Districts (Central Eastside, Gateway Regional Center, Interstate Corridor, Lents Town Center, Old Town, or North Macadam), be zoned for commercial, mixed use, employment, industrial, or multi-dwelling use, and have all property taxes and debt payments current. Each TIF district has its own action plan priorities that guide grant review, ranging from preserving industrial maker space and retail activation in Central Eastside to supporting historic preservation and retail vibrancy in Old Town. National franchises, locally owned franchises with more than three locations, nonprofits (except those located in Old Town), businesses that exclude minors during business hours, and any work completed before a grant agreement is executed are not eligible. A grant recipient or property may only receive one PIP grant every five years.

As part of its continued efforts to grow Rhode Island's green economy, DEM has partnered with the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources to administer the RI Agricultural Energy Grant Program that provides grant awards of up to $20,000 for eligible energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at RI Farms. This funding helps local farmers "green" their operations and benefit from the related energy and cost savings through energy efficiency projects and by transitioning to renewable power.

The WorkClean: Diesel Modernization Program provides funding for both diesel-to-diesel and diesel-to-electric projects designed to improve air quality, especially in areas that do not meet the national air quality standards. Older, low-quality diesel vehicles and equipment operating in the State contribute heavily to air pollution, negatively affecting the health of our residents, particularly in overburdened communities. Diesel engines emit a complex mixture of air pollutants, comprised of both solid and gaseous material. The visible emissions you can see in diesel exhaust are known as particulate matter. These include many carbon particles (also called soot), as well as gases that become visible as they cool. Diesel particulate matter (diesel PM) has been identified as having the potential to cause cancer, as well as many other adverse health effects. In addition to particulate matter, emissions from diesel-fueled engines include over 40 other cancer-causing substances. The Bureau of Mobile Sources’ Diesel Modernization Program is primarily a diesel replacement program. This program utilizes State and Federal funding to replace both marine engines and non-road diesel vehicles – anything from ferry vessels to backhoe loaders and bulldozers. Contingent upon open solicitations, the program also works with both municipalities and private entities to electrify on-road diesel vehicles, such as school buses, garbage trucks, and port equipment.

The Sunny Day fund supports extraordinary economic development opportunities that create and retain employment as well as create significant capital investments. Projects must generate significant jobs in areas of high unemployment; they are evaluated on a competitive basis and must be consistent with the state's strategic economic development plan.

The Cultural STAR Program provides grants and loans to Saint Paul cultural projects and organizations. Most projects are located in the Saint Paul Cultural District (bordered by I-94 to the north, the Lafayette Bridge to the east, the Mississippi River to the south, and Chestnut Road to the west). Cultural STAR grows Saint Paul's economy by strengthening the arts and cultural sector and supporting downtown as a vital cultural center.