In Partnership With

Bay Future Focus for July 2020

July 7, 2020

Michigan Business Network

During Governor Whitmer’s, Stay Home-Stay Safe Initiative, BFI’s staff has had the opportunity to survey and interact with over 350 Bay County businesses while offering direct financial support to 59 of them. We have made it our goal to connect with every manufacturer in Bay County and have worked with 75 manufacturers in direct support of them through best practices and introductions to COVID-19 awareness and prevention programs and resources through our partners.

We have been the sub-recipient of grants and have worked with community partners to develop new initiatives to assist small businesses (more information can be found here). To date, we have worked on more than 40 Bay City and Bay County community initiatives helping to lead and support local economic sustainability and vitality. Our July newsletter highlights many of these recent initiatives and the impact they are just beginning to have on our community.

I am excited to share with you a new grant opportunity for small businesses, just announced yesterday, Bay City CBDG-CV Small Business Relief Grant with $300,000 in grant funds available! We have been working in collaboration with City staff to offer this opportunity to the small business community in Bay City. I encourage you to share these resource with your network of Bay City business owners or to take advantage of these resources yourself.

We are grateful to offer this grant as it will surely help to ease some of the financial burden our small businesses continue to face.

For more information:

View Press Release

View Program Overview

View Full Program Guidelines

Bay City CBDG-CV Small Business Relief Grant Application

Bay City CBDG-CV Microenterprise Grant Application

Happy reading and stay safe,

-Trevor Keyes, EDFP

President & CEO

Bay Future, Inc.

Featured Content

Uptown Bay City

$14.3 Million Expansion

The new waterfront apartment building is a 92,000 square foot five story building and will feature 60 new one and two bedroom market rate apartments over covered parking. This next phase of Uptown’s development will include over 120 new apartments located within multiple structures contributing to a more vibrant and energetic downtown neighborhood area that will serve to attract additional residents and businesses to Downtown Bay City.

The 60 unit residential project is expected to generate a total private investment of $14.3 million and will further connect the Uptown Bay City Development with Downtown Bay City.

This development and the consolidation of Uptown / Downtown supports the placemaking requirements of Bay City’s Master Plan and will connect both areas into a unified whole with convenient pedestrian and vehicular routes. Increasing the downtown urban density also limits urban sprawl and the over stretching of city infrastructure.

Last month, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced additional financial incentives by the Michigan Strategic Fund in support of this expansion.

Click to Read Full Press Release

Match on Main

50,000 in Grants for Downtown Bay City Businesses

Bay Future, Inc. on behalf of the City of Bay City and Downtown Bay City, was awarded $50,000 in grants aimed at supporting the COVID-19 economic recovery efforts of small businesses through the Match on Main COVID-19 Response Program developed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

Sixteen businesses located in downtown Bay City will receive the funds. 22 Michigan communities throughout the state will receive nearly $1 million in grants and 299 businesses will receive assistance.

Click to Read Full Press Release

“Match on Main will provide funding to small businesses in Bay City that make our community unique and create the vibrant downtown that both our residents and visitors enjoy,” said City of Bay City Manager, Dana Muscott.

“We’re hopeful that these funds will give businesses the boost they need as they begin reopening and operating in the COVID-19 recovery.”

Downtown Bay City businesses receiving $50,000 in COVID-19 relief funds

Business-boosting agencies staying focused on recovery efforts

16 Bay City businesses receive state grants to stay open; another 4 turn to crowdfunding for help

MI Local Biz

$33,425 to Four Bay City Small Businesses

In June, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, in junction with the Detroit-based crowdfunding platform, Patronicity, announced “MI Local Biz”, a creative funding mechanism to offer quick access to capital for small local businesses in this great time of need. The MEDC pledged to match crowdfunding raises on a 1:1 basis up to $5,000 for eligible small businesses experiencing economic challenges as a result of COVID-19.

Four Bay City Businesses were selected to participate in this program. This lead to $17,425 in crowdfunding dollars and a $16,000 match by the MEDC. Total financial impact on these businesses was $33,425.