McCollum Touts New Federal Funding for Saint Paul Arts and Small Business Community Development

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) issued the following statement today in anticipation of President Biden signing the Fiscal Year 2022 conference agreement (H.R. 2471) into law, with funding for all 10 Community Project Funding (CPF) requests made by Rep. McCollum that will directly benefit Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District:

"Small businesses in Saint Paul are the backbone of our community, especially in the creative economy," Rep. McCollum said. "By partnering with NDC and LISC Twin Cities to focus on historically-excluded small businesses, we will strengthen community, expand opportunity, and boost our cultural and arts districts in Saint Paul. These federal resources are an important step in promoting economic development in our Saint Paul neighborhoods."

Two Community Project Funding (CPF) requests made by Rep. McCollum will benefit Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District by investing in business development opportunities:

• Project: Neighborhood Development Center, Saint Paul ($1,000,000)
  Description: NDC's Small Business Incubator Project will ensure Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC) business owners have space within their own neighborhoods to successfully run their business. In addition, NDC's Training Center will allow NDC to support other organizations across the state and nation as they learn the NDC model of community/economic development and how it can be applied in their communities. NDC will direct these funds to five projects in the District.

"NDC is thrilled and humbled by this opportunity to support our small business incubators in St. Paul," said NDC President Renay Dossman. "We thank Representative McCollum for her unwavering support, and we look forward to sharing with the community how this funding will impact BIPOC business owners."

• Project: Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Twin Cities Creative Placemaking, St. Paul ($1,000,000)
  Description: LISC Twin Cities seeks to support the critical creative economies in St. Paul. This funding will support: 4-5 grants of $200,000-$250,000 to four cultural districts in St. Paul in which LISC is currently working: Little Mekong, Little Africa/Midway, Frogtown/Rondo, and East 7th Street. This funding will support the creation of small business incubator space, affordable commercial space, and community arts and event space. Funding will also be used to prioritize culturally focused business development and technical assistance for BIPOC entrepreneurs and community organizations, as well as produce a guide for businesses on using the arts to boost business and work with artists, with a flip side for artists on working with businesses.

"This funding will expand the relationship between the federal government and our local communities as they strive to center and fully integrate arts and cultural institutions in their economic development efforts." -Peter McLaughlin, Executive Director, LISC Twin Cities

"Cultural districts are vital hubs for community prosperity," said Va-Megn Thoj, Executive Director of the Asian Economic Development Association. "They are places where small businesses can thrive and jobs are created, where art and culture can flourish. This funding will strengthen cultural districts like Little Mekong while providing economic stability for residents."

"We are grateful! LISC has been supporting AEDS and Little African since our establishment," said Gene Gelgelu, CEO and Founder of African Economic Development Solutions. "This funding will help AEDS to leverage other resources to build a vibrant Little Africa Cultural Business District."

Background:

For fiscal year 2022, the Financial Services and General Government bill includes $25.5 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $1.1 billion over 2021.

The legislation:

• Assists small businesses and entrepreneurs through increased funding for the Small Business Administration and Community Development Financial Institutions
• Protects our democracy with Election Security Grants to ensure the integrity and safety of our elections
• Rebuilds the Internal Revenue Service to finally crack down on big corporations and the wealthy who aren't paying their fair share and to provide better customer service to working families navigating the tax system, all while addressing the agency's aging IT infrastructure
• Supports working and middle-class families by increasing funding for consumer protection activities at the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Trade Commission
• Includes McCollum-supported language supporting updated guidance on federal agencies' consideration of potential employees' marijuana use

Full list of McCollum-secured CPFs:

Rep. McCollum's full statement on the passage of the FY 22 funding agreement is available here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Rep. McCollum's Community Project Funding requests is available here.

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