Pitch Your Porch
Pawnee County Downtown Business Competition
HOW TO REGISTER FOR PITCH YOUR PORCH:
To Sign-up go to VentureDash and click Join the Competition. Sign-up as an Entrepreneur for the Pawnee County Pitch Your Porch Competition by clicking the Choose Role drop-down. June 7th, 2024 is the deadline to apply.
Direct Sign-Up Link: https://goventuredash.com/competitions/569
IMPORTANT DEADLINES:
Application Deadline: June 7th, 2024 by 11:59pm.
Applications will then be reviewed by the PYP Grant Review Committee. Those with completed and eligible projects will be contacted and presentation times for the June 18th competition will be scheduled.Pitch Competition: June 18th, 2024
ELIGIBLE IMPROVEMENT EXAMPLES:
Cleaning, preparation, and painting of exterior walls and trim
Cleaning and/or re-pointing of brick, and other masonry
Installation of siding materials
Outdoor dining fencing
Trash can fencing
Signage
Replacement of deteriorated windows, doors, and or/framing visible from the street
Removal and/or installation of awnings, canopies, or shutters
Accent lighting
Murals & external beautification
Pawnee County Economic Development Commission is excited to host the Pitch Your Porch (PYP) Grant Program is designed to assist business owners in any downtown district in Pawnee County, Kansas to renovate the “front porch” of their business to create a visual impact and to complement community development efforts.
2024 Competition Results:
10 local businesses competed this evening at Pitch Your Porch - and all 10 competed with excellent and very worthy plans to enhance their downtown front porches! Congratulations to all of our participants - our downtowns are so fortunate to have you!
$3,000 facade grants were awarded to the following Pawnee County Downtown businesses:
• Orphan Grain Train
• Pawnee Valley Sport & Health
• Taylor Concrete & Paint
ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for the PYP Program, businesses must have:
A physical presence and must be registered and licensed under the current Kansas Business Guidelines.
All businesses must be current on both County and State Tax liabilities and currently open to the public.
Business must be currently in operation by the application deadline of June 7th, 2024
Only new projects will be considered for this grant competition and must be ready to begin following the competition on June 18th.
AWARDS
A total of $3,000 is available to be awarded to 5 businesses. Grants will be awarded up to 3,000 per business (the maximum amount a single business can receive). Owners/tenants can spend more than $3,000 on a project, but the grant will only award 3,000 with a 25% match on the project. Interested owners/tenants must fill out an application prior to the June 7th, 2024 deadline.
Applications will be considered by the PYP Grant Review Committee to determine eligibility for the PYP Competition and to assure, through an equitable process, that the application meets all applicable design guidelines.
Applicants will also be required to adhere to all codes and requirements as prescribed by the City and County codes in which the business is located. All permits must be obtained prior to any building improvements as required by the County/Municipality. The completed work must adhere to the final design plans agreed to with the PYP Grant Committee to ensure final payment.
Applicants can use visual aids, PowerPoint presentations, etc. during the pitch competition to strengthen their opportunity to be awarded the grant.
There is a minimum 25% match ($750) on the $3,000 granted amount required by the awardee for the grant
Funds will NOT be deposited into business accounts. The businesses must send paid invoices to the PCEDC Director to be reimbursed
Businesses will have up to 1 year from the competition scheduled on June 18th, 2024 to use the awarded funds.
QUESTIONS
Contact Pawnee County Economic Development at 502 Broadway, Larned, larnedcofc@gbta.net, or 620-285-6916.