City of St. Petersburg Selects 56 Small Businesses for South St. Pete CRA Microfund Program

June 15, 2023 - The next milestone in the South St. Petersburg CRA Microfund Program, a new and accessible funding opportunity for businesses located in the South St. Pete Community Redevelopment Area (CRA), has been reached. 56 small businesses have been selected to participate in the first cohort. 

On June 12th, the selected small business owners met at the St. Pete Greenhouse for the program's official 'Launch Night' event, where they received program details, met with their business mentors and navigators, and joined their first cohort networking event. 

For the next few months, business owners will work to develop a personalized capacity-building plan, a business and spending plan, and complete several surveys and a final report. Upon completion of the program, each cohort participant will be eligible to receive up to $10,000 to be used at their discretion based on their planning with their Greenhouse Navigator.

The next cohort and application period is set for Fall / Winter 2023. For those interested in learning more about the South St. Pete CRA Microfund Program, please attend the next information session on Thursday, June 22, at 6 p.m. or visit stpete.org/microfund. 

About the South St. Petersburg CRA Program:
The South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) was established to promote reinvestment in housing and neighborhoods, commercial corridors, business development, and education and workforce development. The 7.4 square-mile CRA is the largest in St. Pete and one of the largest in Florida. The CRA is comprised of Greater Childs Park, more than 20 neighborhood and business associations, and two Florida Main Street Districts. The South St. Petersburg CRA is generally bounded by 2nd Avenue North, Interstate 275, Interstate 175, and Booker Creek on the north; 4th Street South on the east; 30th Avenue South on the south; and 49th Street on the west. For more information, visit stpete.org/cra.