ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – A multi-million-dollar investment in North City is underway.
Mayor Tishaura Jones and the St. Louis Development Corporation will award $30 million to 295 businesses with roots in north St. Louis.
Dr. Marcus Howard is one of the recipients. He is the owner of Greater Health Pharmacy and Wellness in the Delmar DivINe.
“I think the capital is really important to the young businesses thriving in the city of St. Louis,” he said. “I think this is just in time.”
“North St. Louis has been left to fall for so many decades, and this is our opportunity to make sure that St. Louis can succeed,” Jones said.
The North City Small Business Grant will use ARPA funding for the program as Covid Relief money must be allocated by the end of the year.
However, awardees have until December 2026 to spend it.
“I can take that money and invest back in the business,” Mary Ann Hamilton, of Mary Ann Network, said. “I am grateful more than anything. I feel like I was chosen.”
According to the St. Louis Development Corporation, a scoring system was necessary to decide how much money each group received.
“How do we prioritize businesses who actually have residents that own these businesses from North St. Louis?” Neil Richardson of SLDC said. “That was part of our scoring criteria, if a business owner actually resided in North City they received additional points.”
The financial awards ranged from $5,000 to $25,000.
For North City native Marcus Howard, it is motivation for small business owners to make it better.
“It’s tremendous and a huge help to the businesses here in St. Louis.”
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