Featured photo: Montez Boone, who owns Millionaire Cuts & Style, in Flint and received a Moving Flint Forward grant, with his client Fred Wells
Written by Tanya Terry
The Moving Flint Forward grant program is specifically designed to benefit small businesses based in Flint with 20 or fewer employees and is awarding them with grants of up to $10,000 each this year. The program is accepting applications through March 15.
Montez Boone, who owns Millionaire Cuts & Style, at 4316 Saginaw St., was part of the grant program’s fourth cohort. He applied his grant funding to install a paved parking lot at his barbershop.
“This has been a huge upgrade for my business,” said Boone. “I’m still getting compliments from customers about it to this day.”
The Courier recently talked with Tyler Rossmaessler, executive director of the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, about what makes the program so important not only to grant recipients, but to the entire city.
Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community, according to Rossmaessler.
“Bolstering small businesses is the work of bolstering communities,” Rossmaessler added. “It’s the work of bolstering the sense of place. It’s the work of bolstering innovation and feeding that entrepreneurial spirit. Not to mention all the jobs small businesses create. It’s very important to our work and our work to drive economic prosperity in our community.”
Rossmaessler pointed out access to capital and financing are hard obstacles for small businesses to overcome.
Other obstacles can include finding the right talent and finding the right location to operate the business.
The Moving Flint Forward grant is an opportunity for individuals or entrepreneurs in Flint who want to bolster the capacity of their business.
Grants can be used to advance the businesses’ operations, such as through expansion projects, making repairs or leasehold improvements or purchasing inventory or façade improvements. Grants cannot be used for payroll, rent, staffing, mortgage payments or debt services on any federal, state or local taxes owed.
As both a requirement and a benefit of the program, grant recipients participate as a cohort of entrepreneurs to learn and network together as they are running their businesses.
“I think the change is the network and the community that we’re beginning to build. The cohort is a very important part of this. Building a community of businesses that are operating and growing here in Flint is another important part of this program. They are beginning to do business with each other. They are beginning to learn from each other.”
Rossmaessler pointed out the business owners are able to learn everything from accounting to leadership from each other.
In addition to the program awarding 17 grants of up to $10,000 each to eligible Flint businesses that are new to the program, seven Moving Flint alumni who have gone through the program before are eligible to receive up to $5,000 each. Offering grants to alumni is a new aspect of the program, which was added as the grant program grew.
This is the fifth round for the Moving Flint Forward grant program, launched by both Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance and General Motors (GM). According to information provided by Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, this round will bring GM’s total support of the program to nearly $1.2 million.
“GM is interested in making investments where they do business. So, this is a part of their corporate strategy of running operations here in Flint, along with also participating in other meaningful ways.”
Applications for the Moving Flint Forward grant are due by 5 p.m. March 15, and grant recipients will be notified the week of April 22. For more details, visit the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance Facebook page or YouTube channel to see a recording of an information session.
To apply, visit DevelopFlintandGenesee.org/Moving-Flint-Forward.
Anyone who needs help applying for the Moving Flint Forward grant is invited for in-person office hours at Berston Fieldhouse on Monday, March 11 from noon-2:30 p.m.
Businesses are also able to sign up for in-person check in with Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance counselors whether they apply for the grant funds or not. These meetings are also held at Berston Fieldhouse.
