The City of Richmond has approved the first wave of grant awards for the Richmond Recovers Grant Program. 123 applicants were notified of their approved grant applications and will receive a total of $1.32 million in grant funding.  Of the 123 approved grant recipients, 42 are restaurants and nine are non-profit organizations. The city allocated three million of its CARES Act dollars to fund the grant program. “This grant program is providing much needed financial relief to small businesses and non-profit organizations that have lost revenue due to COVID-19,” said Mayor Levar Stoney. “We will continue our efforts to make more financial resources available to help our Richmond businesses.” The Richmond Recovers Grant Program still has $1.68 million to award. The Department of Economic Development is working with grant applicants to ensure that all of the required information is submitted in order for their application to be evaluated. “Nearly 500 grant applications were started usin...

  The City of Richmond has received a grant from Capital One through the company’s recently launched Impact Initiative, a program that seeks to close gaps in equity and promote social and economic opportunity in the Richmond region.  The support from Capital One will help the city fund an equity study, equity and inclusivity training for city staff, and the development of action plans to operationalize solutions throughout city policies, practices and procedures.  “Our goal is to normalize racial equity and justice within city conversations, work and culture and operationalize them so that equity and justice are visible in everything our city does,” said Mayor Stoney. “We are truly grateful for the support of partners like Capital One helping to expand our capacity to do this critical work.” “Richmond was once the second largest epicenter of the domestic trading of enslaved Africans, served as the former capital of the confederacy and was a stalwart of Massive Resistance,...

  At the September 28 meeting of Richmond City Council, the Stoney administration introduced an ordinance to amend the proposed Capital Improvements Projects for FY2020-2021, expanding the scope of the Heritage Center/Lumpkin’s Jail (Devil’s Half Acre) project. The ordinance proposes the city acquire 1305 North 5 th   Street, which historically served as part of the Burial Ground for Free People of Colour and Slaves.     The ordinance amends the Devil’s Half Acre program in alignment with the recommendations of the Shockoe Alliance and tireless work of community advocates. If the ordinance is adopted, the project would include: A pavilion and museum at the Devil’s Half Acre Site; Planning requirements for the proposed Heritage Center; Design of and improvements to the Richmond Slave Trail and Trail Head; and The acquisition of 1305 North 5 th   Street and extension of the Slave Trail to that property.   1305 North 5 th   Street was historically used as...

Update: Biennial real estate plan proposes to allot parcels for affordable development, homeownership The Biennial Real Estate plan, which was in draft form until submitted to Richmond City Council as required by ordinance, has been supplemented to include additional parcels dedicated to increasing affordable housing opportunities and providing a CIP fund stimulus. Now, the plan recommends four additional parcels go to the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust and three additional parcels be conveyed to non-profit affordable housing organizations for affordable development. The plan also identifies four more high-value parcels to convey to developers at a competitive rate. The plan also specifies that if the Richmond School Board officially declares any former public school buildings surplus, then future use opportunities for those parcels could be brought before Richmond City Council. The Biennial Real Estate Plan is a set of non-binding proposals reflective of the city’s real estate pri...

The City of Richmond’s Office of Minority Business Development (OMBD) has launched a new Supplier and Diversity Portal through B2GNow.  The new portal will be used for minority business enterprise (MBE) and emerging small businesses (ESB) to register with OMBD’s office and can be accessed by visiting this link: https://richmondombd.diversitycompliance.com/?TN=richmondombd . The new system will be utilized for MBE/ESB registration along with compliance management for accurate tracking of MBE/ESB spending, goal setting, certification, and much more. All minority small businesses are encouraged to register their business via the new portal.  OMBD plans to deactivate the current MBD Businesses Directory on December 31, 2020 and encourages all registered businesses to re-register their firm. OMBD staff is available for assistance with the portal and to answer any questions. The new B2GNow system is a nationwide database and would provide exposure and full access to opportunities ac...

 On Wednesday, Mayor Stoney announced that he will recommend part of the city’s projected surplus balance fund a pilot program dedicated to addressing mental health and substance abuse disorder challenges in underserved communities.  The city will work alongside the Richmond City Health District (RCHD) and Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) in designing and implementing this pilot.  “Richmond residents who live with mental and behavioral health challenges are experiencing compounded harms during the pandemic,” said Mayor Stoney. “But this program should not be limited to short-term relief. We need a permanent culture shift to destigmatize seeking help.” The year-long pilot aims to increase the accessibility of mental and behavioral health support in communities that suffer from disparities in care and outcomes. Director of RCHD Dr. Danny Avula asserts this begins with listening.  “Our intention with this program is to listen to the community and use that inp...

  Mayor Stoney and LGBTQ advocates raised a Pride flag at city hall to recognize the city’s annual PrideFest weekend.   “LGBTQ Richmonders should know that this city stands behind them,” said Mayor Stoney. “No matter who you love or how you identify, you are a valued member of our community deserving of love, support and justice.”   This is the first time in the city’s history a Pride flag has been raised at City Hall. The flag flies on the Broad Street side of the complex in recognition of the city’s annual PrideFest weekend.      The city chose to raise the Progress Pride flag. The flag incorporates black and brown stripes and the colors of the Transgender Pride flag to represent the necessity for champions of the LGBTQ community to bring a racial justice, inclusive lens to the work.     “We chose the Progress Pride flag both for this moment and to represent our ongoing work,” said Mayor Stoney. “To build an equitable, inclusive city, we must mo...