What are the guiding principles for the program?

• Transparency: We strive to communicate clearly to applicants, partners, and the community.

• Stewardship: We are cognizant that we are managing state dollars and do our best to be good stewards of these funds, including building an application process that is mindful of security and guards against fraud.

• Equitable Distribution: We have made many efforts to make this process as accessible to the communities it is intended for, including providing 1:1 application support, providing the application and support in several languages, offering multiple grant rounds, and leaning on feedback insight from community partners.

• Empower & Equip: We are giving businesses the agency to grow and scale their business. We provide resources that will walk applicants though everything they need to apply for a Minneapolis - Saint Paul PROMISE Act grant.

• Disadvantaged Communities: The communities that are taken into consideration when drawing boundaries are small businesses who are located, or who operate in neighborhoods / communities that have been adversely affected by:

  • Structural racial discrimination

  • Civil unrest

  • Lack of access to capital

  • A loss of population

  • An aging population

  • A lack of regional economic diversification

• Prevail: By spreading these funds to local businesses, it is fueling growth and opportunity in targeted communities. We aim to empower entrepreneurs and foster economic growth for local businesses.