Main Street Job Recovery Program

Ohio CDC Association to provide $500,000 in grant funding for three Ohio nonprofits

COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio CDC Association (OCDCA) today announced three Ohio nonprofits - CleveLawn, Co-Op Dayton, and Community Development For All People (CD4AP) - will be awarded $500,000 in state funding through The Main Street Job Recovery Program for job creation efforts to benefit local communities.  

The Main Street Job Recovery Program will create employment opportunities, support small businesses and startups, and increase self-sufficiency among Ohioans—particularly those with low- to moderate-incomes (LMI) – while working to strengthen and restore the community. The program will address the economic needs of residents through the creation of permanent businesses and job opportunities by supporting local efforts that drive catalytic investment. The initiative received $500,000 through H.B. 110 FY 2022-2023 state biennium budget as a pilot project.  

“We look forward to seeing how these three organizations will grow and create long-lasting change through the Main Street Job Recovery Program. The projects this funding covers all create or strengthen jobs for Ohioans, while meeting community needs like food security and blight remediation. We are grateful to have this program included in last year’s state budget, and we remain hopeful that further support from state legislature will allow this program to grow in the coming years,” said Nate Coffman, executive director of the Ohio CDC Association.   

This year, three Ohio nonprofits were selected to receive funding through The Main Street Job Recovery program. Awarded funds will be distributed among the following project areas:  

CleveLawn – Based in Cleveland, CleveLawn will receive $200,000 to grow their operations. CleveLawn specializes in training returning citizens in full property maintenance, ground maintenance, small scale residential and commercial renovations, and equipment maintenance and repairs. 

Community Development for All People – Based in Columbus, CD4AP will receive $100,000 to create the South End Café. The Café is designed to provide good paying jobs for low-income individuals who are returning citizens or who have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time. 

Co-Op Dayton - To scale their proven model cooperative technical assistance, Co-Op Dayton will receive $200,000 to launch or expand four co-ops that meet needs in their community while creating permanent jobs in the process. These co-ops include: Gem City Market, TRIBE Doula Collective, Sustainergy, and the Black Farmer Composting Project. 

Grants were awarded by Ohio CDC Association through the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) to support pressing community economic development needs such as, but not limited to, blight remediation, vacant properties, stable housing, food apartheid, and the reentry population, while creating jobs. The organizations have two years to implement the projects. 

“Real change starts with local individuals whose boots are on the ground every day...they are the ones that know the needs of their neighborhood best,” said Nate Coffman, “this is the opportunity to give them the resources they need to invest in their own people and their own community.”  

Funding Announcement

The Main Street Job Recovery Program will create employment opportunities, support small businesses and startups, and increase self-sufficiency among Ohioans—particularly those with low- to moderate-incomes (LMI) – while working to strengthen and restore the community. The initiative will address the economic needs of residents through the creation of permanent businesses and job opportunities by supporting local efforts that drive catalytic investment.

The Main Street Job Recovery Program will provide state funds for 501c3 nonprofit organizations that are addressing the economic needs of low-income individuals and families through the creation of permanent business development and employment opportunities. The Main Street Job Recovery Program is modeled after the federal Community Economic Development grant program, administered through the Office of Community Service within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

The Main Street Job Recovery Program will provide grants for community developers to make investments that create good, permanent jobs for Ohioans while addressing pressing community economic development needs such as, but not limited to, blight remediation, vacant properties, stable housing, food apartheid, and the reentry population. The project should address specific needs in your community. The Main Street Job Recovery Program will provide the awarded grantees an opportunity to expand their reach and invest in low-to moderate communities that address critical economic development needs.  Job creation leads to stability and sustainability. Job creation with livable wages has both economic and social benefit. Economically, it provides income for individuals and families, stimulates domestic demand for goods and services, and increases overall community-based growth. Socially, employment can promote social and mental healing, and stability.

In the SFY 22-23 budget this program was funded at $500,000 over the biennium, which will fund two projects. OCDCA is working to raise additional funding for this program and will maintain a waitlist of projects to fund, if additional funding is secured.

Eligible Applicants

501c3 nonprofit, voting members of OCDCA in good standing are eligible to apply. Good standing is defined as an organization that has no outstanding unpaid debt to OCDCA, has paid 2022 member dues, and has had no negative issues participating in an OCDCA program within the last five years.

For information about the status of your membership, please contact Amanda Crawford.

Learn more about becoming a member of OCDCA.

Purpose of Grant Award

To provide grant funding to OCDCA member organizations. The project must be “shovel ready”, meaning it must be able to begin implementation in summer 2022.  All project partners and specifications should be documented with Third-Party Agreements and/or Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs).

The project must result in the creation of at least one permanent full-time equivalent (FTE) job for a low-to moderate income individual (LMI) or an individual re-entering society per every $30,000 received in grant funding. The jobs should provide livable wages with benefits.

The project should be an investment that creates good, permanent jobs for Ohioans, while addressing critical community economic development needs such as, but not limited to, blight remediation, vacant properties, stable housing, food apartheid, and the reentry population. The project should address specific needs in your community. Applicants must demonstrate progress on how they will create a permanent, sustainable job for a LMI individual or a re-stored citizen within one year of receiving grant funding. Jobs created may be private, nonprofit, or jobs for the applicant entity. The applicant should further detail how they will leverage funds and/or fund collaborative partnerships to implement a shovel ready project.

This announcement is intentionally broad so that community development organizations can implement a project that best meets the needs of their communities, but ultimately, a successful project must be a local-driven effort that supports community economic development while creating permanent jobs for LMI individuals. Note, the term Main Street is a colloquial term and not literal to a commercial corridor. Acceptable “Main Streets” for this announcement include streets, neighborhoods, communities, etc. so long as they are centered in LMI communities.

Important Dates & Timeline

Posting Date: March 29, 2022

Informational Webinar: April 1, 2022 from 10 – 11:15 AM – Register Here

Letter of Interest Deadline: April 22, 2022 at 12:00 pm/noon EST

Invitation to Apply: May 6, 2022

Grant Application Due Date: June 5, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST – Applications submitted after the cut-off will not be considered.

Grant Award Date: June 24, 2022

Funding Term: June 25, 2022 – June 30, 2024–At least 50% of your project plan timeline must be completed by June 30, 2023.

Total Program Funding: $500,000 with potentially more funding, which has yet to be secured

Award Ceiling: $250,000

Total Number of Awards: Two grants will be awarded, with more awarded pending additional funding which has yet to be secured