CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — The Coventry Village Special Improvement District (SID) has launched a new small business grant program funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
It will be available to both start-ups and existing tenants or owners.
With a total of $200,000 available, the program will offer individual grants ranging from $15,000 to $75,000 for new and expanding businesses located in the district.
“Grant awards will require matching investment or in-kind contributions from building owners and may be used for startup costs, renovations and other expenses related to opening or expansion,” a Coventry SID press release noted.
Calling the ARPA grant program a “direct investment in the small business community,” Coventry SID Executive Director Matt Moore pointed to community feedback highlighting interest in co-working spaces, art galleries and gathering places for a drink and conversation.
“It’s designed to connect some dots between entrepreneurs and vacant spaces while responding to what residents and visitors say they want to see in the neighborhood,” Moore said.
There is no application deadline yet, although the nonprofit’s selection committee hopes to expend the funds by the end this year.
“We’re reviewing applicants monthly on a rolling basis, hoping to match with the right prospects and have ink dried on leased spaces by the end of April,” he said.
For more than a century, Coventry Village has been an eclectic small business center, particularly for arts- and culture-driven enterprises.
The neighborhood was also an early innovator of the “Special Improvement District” model in Ohio and the first SID in Cuyahoga County, allowing property owners to pool resources for services and improvements.
Moore added that the grant program coincides with broader public and private investment in the area, including public art and placemaking projects and improvements to nearby community amenities.
These include the newly renovated Coventry PEACE Park and playground, the historic Heights library branch and the former Centrum theater.
“We want the funds put into small businesses as soon as possible — whether they’re a Coventry favorite looking to expand into a new chapter or the next weirdo-hero with an idea coming out of left field,” Moore said.
For more information about eligibility, application requirements and deadlines, visit the SID website at CoventryVillage.org or contact coventryvillage@gmail.com
Read more from the Sun Press.
