The city’s ARPA advisory committee has reviewed the ARPA RFP applications from six (6) small businesses. All six awardees are designated as minority and/or women owned or are located within the Qualified Census Tracts (QCT) for eligibility. In addition, seven (7) nonprofit ARPA RFP applications have been reviewed. Upon the recommendations from the city ARPA advisory committee, Mayor Sarno has approved their ARPA RFP applications.
Those small businesses and nonprofits receiving funding include:
Business Name | Amount Awarded | Designation |
Pearl Development Group, Inc. | $50,000 | Small Business |
Acme Auto & Radiator, Inc. | $125,000 | Small Business |
Mad Science of Western New England and ART-Ventures for Kids | $50,000 | Small Business |
Mi Antojito Bakery | $60,000 | Small Business |
Tysons Cuts | $60,000 | Small Business |
Fresh Cut Barbershop | $60,000 | Small Business |
Springfield Museums | $500,000 | Non Profit |
Home City Development, Inc. | $1,000,000 | Non Profit |
Black Men of Greater Springfield, Inc. | $140,000 | Non Profit |
YMCA of Greater Springfield | $325,000 | Non Profit |
Stone Soul, Inc. | $500,000 | Non Profit |
Hispanic American Library, Inc. | $50,000 | Non Profit |
Springfield 5A Bulldogs Inc | $100,000 | Non Profit |
Mayor Sarno states, “I want to first thank Congressman Richard Neal for his continued leadership on behalf of the city of Springfield – once a mayor always the heart of a mayor. Thanks to his and President Joseph Biden’s efforts, we were able to receive this federal ARPA funding directly so that we can properly review the needs of our community that has been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. My administration has done this by meeting with over 30 neighborhood councils and organizations to hear directly from them on what their needs are. My dedicated city team has reviewed their applications and based upon their input my administration continues to appropriately allocate our local ARPA monies where they are most needed to help our residents, businesses and neighborhoods recover from the COVID-19 pandemic with an emphasis on capturing and sustaining future economic development opportunities.”
“I am proud to say that this is now the fifth round of our local ARPA grant funding that my administration has rolled out to our small businesses, nonprofits and agencies,” Mayor Sarno continued. “As I have stated from the beginning, this is all about that good four-letter work, ‘JOBS’! It’s about saving jobs, creating new jobs and growing our small businesses which are vital and so important for the economic health of our city.”
“The nonprofits that have been awarded do tremendous work in our community, helping thousands of people with a wide variety of services for our residents. This COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of stress on individuals and families, and it is important to support our local nonprofits so that they can continue to assist and provide their services for our residents and the community. This grant funding that my administration is allocating will go to enhancing the services these nonprofits provide, especially to those that have been adversely affected by the pandemic.” Mayor Sarno added.
Of note, nearly all of the City of Springfield’s ARPA grant funding awards for small businesses are designated as either minority and/or women owned businesses or eligible within the QCT. This trend further emphasizes Mayor Sarno’s commitment to providing city ARPA RFP relief to minority and women owned businesses that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In total, Mayor Sarno has awarded 39 small business ARPA grant-funding awards. Of the 39 awardees, 32 or 82% have been committed to minority owned businesses. Below is the year to date breakdown.
Small Business Designation | Number Awarded |
Woman Owned | 15 |
Minority Owned |
Total: 32
African-American/Black: 18 Hispanic: 10 Asian: 3 Other: 1
|
Veteran | 1 |
Located within QCT | 24 |
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Additionally, Mayor Sarno announced three (3) ARPA awardees as part of the City of Springfield’s Neighborhood Economic Recovery and Relief Fund. The three awardees are:
Business Name | Amount Awarded | Description |
AC Produce | $215,000 | Façade Improvement |
Blues to Green Inc. | $50,000 | Jazz & Roots Festival |
Hickory Street Harambee Inc. | $50,000 | Hickory Street Harambee Festival |
Mayor Sarno states, “Sustaining and enhancing our successful community initiatives that promote economic growth and the arts and culture are a hallmark of my administration. I am proud to announce the ARPA award funding to AC Produce to enhance the façade of their storefront in our South End neighborhood and to Blues to Green Inc. in support of our beloved Jazz and Roots and Harambee Festivals that are so important and treasured by our community.”
In February 2022, Mayor Sarno, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CAFO) TJ Plante and Chief Development Officer (CDO) Tim Sheehan announced the $12 million investment into the Neighborhood Economic Recovery and Relief fund. The program will help to ensure that neighborhood businesses and institutions, which are at the core of neighborhood life, have the resources to not simply recover from the impacts of the pandemic but to work together with the city towards ensuring our neighborhood centers and the surrounding area include sufficient amenities for residents and the business community to flourish with a focus on disproportionately impacted communities, equity and inclusion.
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Mayor Sarno further announced $1,150,000 to be awarded to two (2) businesses under the hospitality and job creation designation. The two awardees are:
Business Name | Amount Awarded | Description |
GS Trucking | $150,000 | Purchase new equipment and create new job opportunities |
Springfield Hospitality, LLC | $1,000,000 | Renovations and reopening of Tower Square Marriott Hotel |
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Mayor Sarno also announced that his administration would be committing $7.3 million of ARPA award grant funding to meet the operational needs for three (3) local departments/agencies that will serve the needs of our residents. The three department/agencies being funded are:
Department | Amount Awarded | Description |
Springfield Redevelopment Authority (SRA) | $500,000 | Mass Cyber Center |
Springfield Housing Authority (SHA) | $1,800,000 | Elevator Equipment Updates and Modernization at Riverview and Gentile Apartments |
Office of Planning and Economic Development | $5,000,000 | Healthy Homes Rehabilitation Program & Exterior Repair Program |
Mayor Sarno stated, “This $7.3 million ARPA allocation to these departments and agencies supports my administration’s efforts of investing in our residents and our city’s housing stock. I am allocating $5 million to the Office of Planning and Economic Development to support and expand the city’s Health Homes Rehabilitation Program and the Exterior Repair Program that will offer eligible residential homeowners the assistance they need to make needed repairs and rehabilitation to their homes.”
“In addition, I am committing $1.8 million to the Springfield Housing Authority to help offset the cost to update and modernize the elevator equipment at their residential housing facilities at Riverview and Gentile apartments,” Mayor Sarno continued. “The SHA can leverage our local ARPA funding to lobby our local state delegation for an earmark and funding commitment from the Commonwealth’s $5.2 billion ARPA monies.”
SHA Director Denise Jordan stated, “I want to thank Mayor Sarno and his dedicated ARPA team for their support of our residents at the Springfield Housing Authority. This announcement comes at a good time as we continue to make much-need repairs and upgrades to our residential housing facilities, especially to our elevators, many of which are old and the parts needed to maintain and upkeep them are obsolete and no longer readily available. When we order the parts, they have to be custom made for our equipment. This investment of local ARPA funding will help our residents as we continue to work with our federal, state and local partners to update and modernize our residential housing facilities.”
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The fifth round of ARPA announcement funding for small businesses, nonprofits, hospitality and job creation totals over $4.15 million. To date, overall ARPA funding awarded across all five rounds to local small businesses and nonprofits is approximately $13.5 million.
If you include ARPA funding committed to the Neighborhood Economic Recovery and Relief Fund ($12 million), Build Back Springfield ($15 million), Neighborhood Councils ($1.8 million) and Health Home Rehabilitation and Exterior Repair programs ($5 million), this now brings the total local ARPA funding that has been committed to $47.3 million.
Mayor Sarno states, “I want to thank my dedicated ARPA team for their continued efforts throughout this RFP process. My administration wants to get this lifeline funding out ASAP to those who have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – especially to our local nonprofits and just as important into programs and initiatives eligible homeowners can take advantage of to rehab and fix their homes.”
“My dedicated city ARPA team and I are excited to make these ARPA RFP funding award announcements as we continue to work together with our community and neighborhood partners,” Mayor Sarno continued. “I am proud that my administration continues to review and award these deserving ARPA applications for the benefit of our community. These awards are just the start of many more to come from all of our seven designated categories. I deeply appreciate these small businesses, nonprofits and agencies for their continued belief and investment in the City of Springfield. I am also hopeful that with my administration’s continued investment of ARPA funds, that all our recipients can leverage the city’s commitment to also obtain more funding from the $5.2 billion of ARPA funding the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has to allocate too.”
ARPA Advisory Committee member and City Council President Williams stated, “I want to once again thank the ARPA team for their continued efforts in reviewing and awarding this fifth round of applications of local ARPA RFP funding. I am especially pleased to see that the administration will be utilizing our local ARPA funding to invest not only in our nonprofits but support our arts and culture organizations and invest in programs to rehabilitate and repair our homes. The City Council will continue to work with Mayor Sarno and his administration as we continue to move these applications forward and get this much-needed funding out into our community.”
ARPA Advisory Committee member and City Clerk Gladys Oyola said, “I am once again excited with the diverse group of recipients that have been awarded in this fifth round of ARPA RFP funding. Investing in these small businesses, non-profits, agencies and programs that support and investment in our homes, community and economic development opportunities is a receipt of success.”
“I am looking forward to making additional announcements in the near future as my administration continues to move forward on our local ARPA RFP front – especially as we continue to move to provide much-needed relief and assistance for our homeowners and seniors,” Mayor Sarno added.
The City of Springfield received $123.8 million in ARPA funding as part of the $350 billion federal American Rescue Plan Act designated for direct aid to state, local and tribal governments. After meeting with nearly 30 neighborhood councils and other organizations as part of Mayor Sarno’s citywide listening sessions to hear directly from our residents and business community, Mayor Sarno identified seven categories in which RFP’s will be utilized to enhance projects, programs and initiatives across the city for the betterment of our residents and businesses. They include: Nonprofit Assistance, New Business Assistance, Small Business Assistance, Senior Citizen Assistance, Neighborhood/Household Assistance, Capital Projects/Public Space Improvements, and Job Creation/Economic Development
For more information on the City of Springfield’s ARPA RFP applications and FAQs, please visit the Department of Recovery and Business Continuity webpage at: www.springfield-ma.gov/finance/arpa
