Project Proposals for RAP 2.0
Published on May 02, 2023
The City of Grand Rapids will submit a Regional Subgrant Program application for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Revitalization and Placemaking 2.0 (RAP 2.0) program. All the information you need to evaluate this grant opportunity is found on this website, including a link to the proposal application form. The City's application will not include placemaking projects. If you have a project proposal for a placemaking project, please visit the The Right Place's proposal form and review the requirements for that application. Questions about placemaking applications can be directed to Tim Mroz, Sr. Vice President of Community Development at The Right Place at mrozt@rightplace.org.
Submit a Proposal
We'll only accept proposals through the online form until Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 5 PM. Proposals submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Before submitting your proposal, you should review the application questions and attachment requirements in advance using this Initial Proposal Questions for Reference(PDF, 234KB). Incomplete proposal submissions, including all required attachments, will not be reviewed.
Background
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is accepting applications for the Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) 2.0 program which will distribute $100 million to qualifying projects throughout the entire State of Michigan. The MEDC has allocated $13 million to Prosperity Region 4, which includes Grand Rapids. Applications for grant funds may be made for individual projects, or as part of a Regional Subgrant Program application that contains various projects in a combined application. Projects that will be competitive for this program will meet the project considerations as listed on the MEDC’s program website. On this website, you will also find program requirements, award structure, timelines, the draft application and scoring criteria.
Regional Real Estate Rehabilitation Subgrant Application
The City intends to submit a Regional Real Estate Subgrant Program application for real estate revitalization projects located within the City. Eligible applicants for real estate revitalization projects are individuals or entities working to rehabilitate vacant, underutilized, blighted, or historic structures. Additionally, individuals or entities undertaking new construction projects are also eligible. These projects will be privately owned development projects and the RAP 2.0 grant can fund up to 50 percent of the project’s eligible costs.
The application will include a number of individual projects selected from the submissions received by the deadline that will together comprise the most competitive application for funding for Grand Rapids. Proposals will be evaluated based on the RAP 2.0 program application ad scoring criteria as well as the project prioritization described below.
Project Prioritization
To ensure the City is able to submit a competitive proposal that aligns with local strategy, the City intends to prioritize eligible projects using the following guidelines:
1) Projects must be shovel-ready. This means that you have made significant progress on project design/development and financing. If RAP 2.0 grant funds are awarded, the project should be able to begin construction shortly after the award. Projects must also have a timeline that shows the project will be completed no later than September 30, 2027. Specifically, you must be able to demonstrate the following:
- You must own or have a contract to purchase the property where the project is proposed. If you do not control the property, your application will not be considered.
- You must have recent cost estimates for the project from a contractor dated no earlier than January 2023 and have documentation of equity and debt financing commitments.
- You must submit design documents that support the cost estimates, including site plans and floor plans at a minimum.
- The project should not require significant planning or zoning approvals (i.e. rezoning or variances), or, if required, should have a clear timeline to obtain any necessary approvals that allow for the project to be completed by September 30, 2027.
- The required project proforma should document that the project is financially feasible if grant funds are awarded.
2) Projects must include a housing component. The City's RAP 2.0 application will be focused on meeting the community's housing needs. Projects must have a housing component to be considered for the City's subgrant application. Projects that include at least a portion of the housing as affordable (i.e. households earning 60% area median income (AMI) or below for rental housing or 80% AMI or below homeownership) will be considered more favorably. This does not mean all housing must be affordable, but each project should consider including an affordable housing component. Any project that does not include a housing component will not be considered.
Proposal Process
If you have a project that is eligible based on the above prioritization, and would like it to be considered for inclusion in the City’s application, you must submit the initial proposal form no later than Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Proposals received after that deadline will not be considered. A pdf version of the proposal form is attached below so you can review the questions the attachments that will be required to complete a submission. The process and timeline for preparing the Regional Subgrant Application is also below.
If your project is selected to be included in the City’s Regional Real Estate Revitalization Application, you will work closely with the City beginning in early June 2023 to ensure that your project’s component of the application is complete and as competitive as possible by the submission deadline of June 30, 2023.
Timeline
- May 3, 2023 - Proposal portal opens at 8 AM
- May 31, 2023 - Proposals due by 5 PM
- June 6, 2023 - Project selections finalized
- June 7 - June 29, 2023 - Selected applicants work with the City to develop the regional subgrant application
- June 30, 2023 - Application will be submitted to the MEDC
Please note, your proposal will not be reviewed until after the proposal due date on May 31, 2023.
Resources
One of the required attachments for the RAP 2.0 application and City's initial proposal form is the MEDC's Real Estate Proforma. Attached below is the template as well as a Proforma 101 guide to assist with filling out the MEDC's template. Please read the instructions on the first tab of the workbook carefully, and make sure that you do not use any spaces in the name when you are saving the workbook.
Listed below are other helpful resources related to RAP 2.0
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please contact Jono Klooster (jklooster@grcity.us). We're happy to help!