Rural Co-working & Innovation Center Grant Application

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Rural Co-working & Innovation Center Grant

This Grant is administered by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), Office of Rural Development (ORD) in accordance with state code 63N-4-503. The state has allocated $250,000 for fiscal year 2021 (July 1 through June 31^st) for this grant. An advisory committee of seven members is formed under 63N-4-505. It is known as the Rural Online Working Hubs Grant Advisory Committee. The Committee shall advise and make recommendations to the office regarding the awarding of grants.

Grant Purpose

This grant assists in the creation of facilities designed to provide individuals working within designated rural areas with the infrastructure and equipment to participate in the online workforce.

General Information

Qualifying activities of this grant are:

Construction or renovating of a facility to create a Co-working and Innovation Center
Extending and/or improving utilities and broadband service connections to a Co-working and Innovation Center
Purchasing equipment, furniture, and security systems as part of a Co-working and Innovation Center

Under this grant, any of these qualifying activities is considered a “project” and will be referred to as such throughout the application and the contract.

Who may apply for this Grant?

Qualifying entities for this grant include a county, city, institution of higher education, or a private company that is within a defined county designated as a “Rural Area.”

Qualifying “Rural Area” Counties are:

Beaver, Box Elder, Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Uintah, Wasatch, Wayne

Non-qualifying Counties are:

Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele, Utah, Washington, Weber

Only one application per qualifying entity will be considered per application cycle.

Method and formula for determining grant amounts

Because overall grant funding is limited to $250,000 for this fiscal year, applicants with the best proposals for the use of funds will receive an award. Applications will be subject to scoring, ranking, and rating in order to determine final award allocations. Application alone does not guarantee an award. Application scoring may determine grant funding amounts, e.g. a formula of points scored may be calculated as a percentage of overall funds available, or any other method deemed fair and equitable by the Rural Online Working Hubs Grant Advisory Committee. Final grant awards are awarded by the executive director of GOED, after consultation with the Advisory Committee.

Application Priority

Priority will be given to applicants:

who will serve underprivileged or under-served communities, including communities with high unemployment and/or low median incomes (compared to State of Utah averages)
where an applicant demonstrates comprehensive planning of a project, but has limited access to financial resources, including financial resources from local or county government
that maximize economic development opportunities in collaboration with the economic development needs or plans of an educational institution, a county, and a municipality

Priority criteria, as stated above, will be a feature of the application, and a focus of those who will score them.

Grant Fixed Criteria

A grant will only be awarded if an applicant:

Agrees to provide any combination of funds, land, buildings, or in-kind work in the amount equal to at least 25% of the grant (this will be known as a “matching contribution”)
Agrees not to use grant money for ongoing operation or maintenance of a Co-working and Innovation Center

Term of the Grant

Upon approval of final grants awarded by the executive director of GOED, after consultation with the Advisory Committee, the awarded entity will enter into a contractual agreement with GOED to complete its project. The term for projects completion will begin from the date of approval and terminate after 18 consecutive months. If a project is not completed within the allotted 18 month period, the contract will become null and void.

Full Information and Instruction for this grant are found here. Please review them before proceeding to the application.

I have read the Information and Instructions for the Rural Co-working and Innovation Center Grant.

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Applying Entity Type

Qualifying entities for this grant include a county, city, institution of higher education, or a private company. After selecting the entity type below, the correct field of required information will open. Please indicate what type of entity is applying.

County, City, or Institute of Higher LearningPrivate Company

Required Fields (5 points)

Entity Information

Name of applying entity

Applying Entity Street Address

Applying Entity City

Applying Entity State

Applying Entity Zip

Applying Entity Federal Tax ID

Proposing organization Tax ID of Fiscal Agent (if other than applying entity)

The entity’s W9 form

Primary Contact Information

Primary Contact Name

Primary Official Title

Primary Contact Email

Primary Contact Phone

Secondary Contact Information

Secondary Contact Name

Secondary Official Title

Secondary Contact Email

Secondary Contact Phone

Required Fields (5 points)

Private Company Information

Name of applying Company

Street Address

City

State

Zip

County

Federal Tax ID

NAICS Code

Primary Industry

Number of Years in Business

Number of Full-time Employees

Certificate of Existence from the Utah Division of Corporations

Business License from the local county or municipality

Most recent Federal Tax Returns as proof of company profitability

Most recent State of Utah Tax Returns as proof of company profitability

Most recent Company Balance Sheets and Profit and Loss Statements as proof of solvency

Letter of Support from the Economic Development Director or County/City Official in the designated area

GRAMA form (Request for confidentiality)

The entity’s W9 form

Primary Contact Information

Primary Contact Name

Primary Official Title

Primary Contact Email

Primary Contact Phone

Secondary Contact Information

Secondary Contact Name

Secondary Official Title

Secondary Contact Email

Secondary Contact Phone

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Supporting Documentation (10 points)

List of stakeholders and partners in the grant project and the roles they will perform

Letter(s) of support from all entities involved in the project, including those contributing to the matching portion of the grant

Letter(s) of support from community in which the project will take place

Quotes and bids for proposed project

Drafts or rendering of the proposed project, and/or pictures of existing property to me modified to accommodate a Co-working and Innovations Center Project

Will real property by used to meet the 25% matching contribution requirement? If "Yes" a field for requiring uploaded documentation will appear

YesNo

Property valuation documentation (appraisals, county assessment, etc.) in the case that property is used to meet the 25% matching contribution requirement

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Entity History and Qualifications (5 points)

A brief history of the applying entity is required; and, also an explanation of how their organization relates to the development and expansion of an online workforce. The applying entity will express their interest in establishing a Co-working and Innovation Center, or Online Working Hub, and explain why they are uniquely qualified to develop, operate, and maintain such a facility. (1000 words)

Project Design (20 points)

This grant is project based. The applicant will explain what the proposed project is, and its purposes, goals and benchmarks for the project. The applicant will also explain who the stakeholders and partners are, and what their defined roles will be. The applicant will describe the property in which the proposed Co-working and Innovation Center will be established, or otherwise facilitated, and how it will be changed to accommodate the useful space. They will also include an argument as to why this location is best suited as a regional Co-working and Innovation Center. (1000 words)

Scope of Work (20 points)

In this section the applicant will explain how the Co-working and Innovation Center Project will be completed, including a plan for project execution, what type of work will be done, what supporting activities will be involved, and who the participants will be. Qualifying activities of this grant are listed on page 1 of this application and in the information and Instructions sheet. (1000 words)

Deliverables and Outcomes (20 points)

Deliverables and Outcomes will be a synopsis, or summarization, of the Project Proposal, Scope of Work, Budget, and Timeline. It will explain what the Co-working and Innovation Center Project will look like upon completion, and what its capacity will be for serving participants in the online workforce. This synopsis will be included in each project contact and will be reviewed by GOED''s Compliance Department to determine true completion of the project. (1000 words)

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Budget (10 points)

The budget will outline estimated project costs. In a short narrative, explain the funding requirements and how the budget will reflect the design, scope of work, and the deliverables. Explain the 25% matching contribution to the project. Identify the type of matching funds being offered (property, cash, in-kind, etc.) and the contributor activities related to the matching contribution. (300 words)

Submit a proposed Budget in spreadsheet format (.xls or .xlsx file). See sample Budget in Information and Instructions sheet. Submit a proposed budget in spreadsheet format (see sample budget in instructions). The 25% matching funds are a part of the Budget. Include the matching contribution(s) and the dollar values of the match in the budget spreadsheet format.

Timeline (10 points)

In a short narrative, explain the expected dates for the project, including expected start date, end date, and estimated dates for benchmarks and goals reached through the course of the project. (200 words)

Submit a proposed timeline in spreadsheet format (.xls or .xlsx file). See sample timeline in Information and Instructions sheet.

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Grant Funding Request

Based on the Rural Co-working and Innovation Center Project proposal, the projected budget, and consideration of matching contributions to the project, please indicate the quantity of funds you will request.

Applicant understands final allocation of funding will be determined by application review, scoring and grant funding availability. Application review will generate percentile ranking which may be used to calculate final allocation. Participation in the application does not guarantee funding, or funding at the applicant’s requested amount.

Applicant acknowledges and understands the statement above.

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