STAR Grants in St. Paul

Administered by St. Paul’s Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED), Neighborhood STAR program provides grants for physical improvement projects which strengthen neighborhood vitality. Public, private, nonprofit or for-profit entities located in or doing business in Saint Paul can apply for STAR funds. Applications are now open for the 2023 Neighborhood STAR program. Completed applications must be submitted by Monday, July 31, 2023 at 4 p.m.

Funding for the program is determined by the annual STAR budget, which is proposed by the Mayor as part of the City’s budget process, and is approved by the City Council. The appropriation is based on a combination of sales tax revenue projections, loan repayments, closed out projects and investment earnings. The awards result from a competitive application process once per year.

STAR proposals must be for capital improvement projects or programs located within Saint Paul city limits.

STAR funding may only be used for permanently affixed, physical (“bricks and mortar”) enhancements which strengthen and/or improve the neighborhoods of Saint Paul. Projects may include commercial and/or housing rehabilitation, parks projects, streetscape projects, creative placemaking/placekeeping, and economic development activities with an expected life of seven or more years.

Projects and programs financed with STAR funds are expected to be used for their funded purpose for seven (7) or more years. If for any reason the STAR-funded initiative is discontinued or property sold prior to seven years, the STAR award may be required

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The unprecedented clean energy package provides tax incentives, grants, and loans for much of what Maryland seeks to accomplish. There are tax credits of up to $7500 for buying new and used electric cars and trucks. Pretty soon, the neighbors I see at our local watering hole near the Chesapeake Bay will be far less interested in my electric Ford F-150 because they’ll have one of their own.

Similarly, there are rebates of up to $8,000 for home energy efficiency upgrades like heat pumps and rooftop solar panels. This helps balance the upfront costs that hit immediately with the energy cost savings that only accrue over time. Owners to be returned to the city.

To maximize the use of STAR funds, requests over $50,000 must be matched on a minimum dollar for dollar basis with non-city resources. Awarded funds are disbursed upon completion and approval of capital activities. STAR projects should support a public purpose by maintaining or increasing the tax base; creating and/ or retaining jobs; revitalizing vacant commercial space; building wealth within neighborhoods; celebrating and/or strengthening the city’s cultural diversity; or advancing climate-action, sustainability, and/or resilience goals as put forth in the St. Paul Climate Action and Resilience Plan. Proposed activities should be consistent with approved neighborhood plans or initiatives. STAR projects and resources should advance geographic and financial equity across all city neighborhoods.

Eligible Applicants

Public, non-profit and for-profit entities located or doing business within the City of Saint Paul City departments and quasi-governmental entities are an eligible applicant when in partnership with a neighborhood and/or community group Churches and religious organizations are eligible to apply when in partnership with a neighborhood and\or community group and only with respect to a project that: (i) is non-sectarian and whose primary effect neither advances nor inhibits religion; (ii) will make capital improvements for functions not associated with church-sponsored or religious type activities; and (iii) is open and available to the public at large on a regular basis of multifamily buildings can get rebates of up to $400,000.

Transportation and electricity use make up nearly 60 percent of Maryland’s greenhouse gas emissions, which makes this federal support vital and targeted.

The real test is to make sure the benefits of clean energy and the good jobs that will come with it are shared widely and fairly across Maryland and every state.

“The climate crisis impacts everybody, but it does not impact all communities equally,” the vice president noted. “Poor communities, rural communities, Native communities and communities of color are often the hardest hit and the least able to recover.”

We see this in places like West Baltimore where I spent summers with my grandparents and where the childhood

Ineligible Applicants Political parties and political action groups. Federal, state and county agencies and departments. Individual homeowners, condominium or townhome owners and/or the association representing them.

Eligible STAR-Funded Projects and Activities STAR funding may only be used for permanently affixed, physical (“bricks and mortar”) enhancements which strengthen and/or improve the neighborhoods of Saint Paul. Projects may include commercial and/or housing rehabilitation, parks projects, streetscape projects, creative placemaking/placekeeping, and economic development activities with an expected life of seven or more years.

Eligible activities include: Rehabilitation and\ or construction of commercial, residential or industrial property. Most fixed interior and exterior improvements asthma rate is five times higher. We need more contractors to do those energy upgrades, and there are federal dollars to provide that, for example. We must ensure that people from the communities most in need have a place in that training, as they’re the ones most likely to serve their neighbors.

“When the President and I invest in climate, we intend to invest in jobs, invest in families, and invest in America,” Harris told the crowd at Coppin State University.

In the 1920s, National Geographic called Maryland “America in Miniature” for its terrain and waters. Let’s hope that nickname takes on a broader meaning as my state becomes the clean energy model it aspires to be and does it in a way that allows all residents feel the benefit. It’s then we’ll know that this Earth shot led

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to commercial or residential structures including: walls, ceilings, floors, lighting, windows, doors, entrances, electrical, plumbing. HVAC, energy and security improvements, handicap accessibility, and building code corrections. Minor public improvements (major public improvements should be referred to the city’s Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) process). Beautification of public or private open space, including trees and shrubs, rain gardens, benches, play equipment, bicycle parking, and lighting. Creative placemaking / placekeeping capital improvement activities, including public art and creative public infrastructure improvements, especially those located in a Cultural Destination Area. Non-profit neighborhood organizations providing a funding program to local businesses, homeowners, or condominium/townhome owners for capital improvement to that “one giant leap for mankind” we’ve heard about. Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra

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When preparing a STAR proposal, applicants should consider the following:

The Neighborhood STAR Program is designed to fund capital projects of $5,000 or more that could not generally be accomplished solely through non-city funding sources. Potential applicants are encouraged to meet with city staff, neighborhood organizations and community groups to identify needs, and explore opportunities to share capacity and expertise. To ensure that funding is widely distributed throughout the city, it is unlikely that STAR awards will be more than $50,000. Applicants seeking to capitalize a funding program should consider collaborating with other entities to provide technical services (i.e., loan underwriting, loan servicing, and credit analysis) not available in their organization. STAR resources may not be used to develop or duplicate administrative capacity.

Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. He is a professor of practice at

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Twitter the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

Applicants should seek out opportunities to implement existing neighborhood plans and strategies, such as small area plans. Likewise, proposals implemented in conjunction with other city-planned improvements will make the best use of scarce resources. Applicants will need to be able to demonstrate that they have, or will be able to get, site control over the project property. City staff will provide technical assistance to applicants, if requested, to help ensure a complete and viable application. Upon selection by the Mayor and City Council, the STAR applicant will be notified in writing of their funding commitment. City staff will hold a post award meeting to provide a general review of city regulations applicable to all Neighborhood STAR activities. Proposals are selected based upon the information contained in the application and may not be significantly changed during project implementation.

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