Rendon Entrepreneurial Center

Creating environments for our teams to be successful.

Quintana Corridor Sustainability Grant

GREATER QUINTANA CORRIDOR SUSTAINABILITY GRANT APPLICATION

Apply Here (Click Here)

The Rendon Entrepreneurial Center (The REC) Sustainability Grant Overview

For projects that enhance sustainability and resiliency while fostering equity and community partnerships in San Antonio.

Overview

The REC will host one virtual information session, two in person information and application support sessions, and will host grant office hours where a staff member is available to help answer questions and assist in the grant process.

  • Grant Application Opens – January 29th 
  • Grant Orientation Meeting – February 10th (@ Quintana meeting 2031 Quintana Rd, San Antonio, TX 78211) 
  • Summit Workshop Meeting – February 26th (@ The REC, 2612 W SouthCross Blvd) 
  • Grant Application Close – March 6th New Deadline Friday March 20th 5pm
  • Grant Awards Announced – March 23rd Friday April 10th

The REC Grant Program aims to support projects that enhance community sustainability efforts and foster community partnerships that create a more sustainable and resilient San Antonio.

Annual funding of the grant is not guaranteed and is subject to availability. Grant applications are accepted during the application period and reviewed by the Scoring Committee.

The REC Grant Program can help launch or expand existing sustainability projects. Successful projects will further SA Climate Ready goals, reduce building and/or transportation energy consumption, leverage local and federal funding, and/or create community partnerships

Local businesses whose projects are within Quintana Defined Boundary limits are eligible for awards up to $10,000.

Grant projects should fall into one of the following 2 categories:

  1. Reduce Building Energy Consumption,
  2. Reduce the Urban Heat Island and Provide Community Cooling

In partnership with the City of San Antonio Office of Resilience and Sustainability’s Cool Committee and the RevitalizeSA Quintana Empowerment and Resiliency Project. Grant funded by Resiliency, Energy Efficiency, and Sustainability (REES) Fund

Grants Available

Grant up to $10,000 per applicant are available. Projects with multiple funding sources are encouraged.

REC Grant Guidelines

Eligible Applicants:

  1. Owners and/or tenants of commercial and Non-profit properties located in the greater Quintana Community, See attached Grant Area Map.
    1. Tenant must receive approval in writing from property owner (to be submitted with application documents)
    1. Property must currently be in compliance with all Zoning and Unified Development Code requirements or commit to complying prior to completion of the proposed project.
    1. Applicant and/or property owners must be current on all City property taxes
    1. No City liens against applicant and/or property owner
  2. Applicants must disclose any conflicts of interest.
  3. Applicants are required to abide by all local, State, and Federal laws and regulations.
  4. Applicants must complete an energy assessment with CLEAResults and submit it to The REC (event if assessment is done after you apply)

Grants will NOT be awarded to:

  1. Applicants that discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, age, citizenship, non-disqualifying disability, national origin, or sexual identification
  2. Owners and/or tenants located outside of the area outlined above

Eligible Projects:

  1. Applicants must choose a project category and clearly demonstrate how their project aligns with the Category Goals.
  2. Projects should aim to exist beyond the life of the grant

Grant funding CAN NOT be used for the following (Exceptions to this policy may be made solely at the discretion of the REC:

• To pay compensation, salaries, commissions, fees, prizes, premiums, or similar expenses with more than 50% of funds awarded

• To purchase land or buildings

• To retroactively pay for activities completed before the award is received

Greater Quintana Map boundary’s see below:

REC Grant Map AreaDownload

 

Grant Project Goals and Category Specific Goals

Overarching Goals of the Business Grant projects:

Grant Project Categories

All projects must also address one primary sustainability project category:

  1. Reduce Building Energy Consumption
  2. Reduce the Urban Heat Island and Provide Community Cooling

Category-Specific Goals:

Each of the project categories listed above has specific goals. In addition to the overarching grant project goals, each project should align with the specific goals of their chosen project category. Applicants must describe how the project activities relate to their project’s category-specific goals. Sample projects demonstrate the range of appropriate projects; however these lists are not exhaustive. Please see resource page for links to other sources of project examples.

  • Reduce Building Energy Consumption: Reducing the energy consumption of our buildings will reduce the need for energy generated by high carbon sources. This strategy goes hand-in-hand with transitioning to carbon-free energy
  • Sample Project Ideas:
    • Upgrade lighting/appliances/equipment to reduce energy use, water use, and/or improve air quality,
    • Install motion sensor lighting
    • Weatherize a building to use less heating or cooling
    • Implement building-related water conservation projects
    • Install solar panels on roof or parking canopies
    • Purchase solar powered generators or batteries
    • Replace gas powered appliances or tools with electric ones
  • Reduce the Urban Heat Island and Provide Community Cooling: Urban heat island (UHI) reduction projects focus on increasing vegetation, implementing reflective materials, and improving urban design to reduce air temperatures, energy usage, and improve air quality.
  • Sample Projects Ideas:
    • Installing cool roofs Using highly reflective materials to reduce heat absorption in buildings
    • Install Building Awnings. Provide urban shade
    • Install green roofs and and walls: Installing vegetation on rooftops and facades can lower roof surface temperatures Creating living walls for natural insulation and surface cooling.
    • Street tree planting: provide shade and cool air through evapotranspiration, potentially lowering surface temperatures Implement shade through tree plantings, canopies, etc to benefit customers and the general public
    • Enhancing green spaces, establishing community gardens.
    • Converting vacant land into green spaces to increase moisture release and cooling.designing compact, mixed-use developments that encourage more green space and fewer vast, heat-absorbing parking lots.
    • Install Cool/Permeable Pavement: Replacing dark asphalt with lighter-colored or porous surfaces to reflect solar energy and allow water evaporation, reducing the urban heat absorption.
    • Installing fountains and ponds to cool the air through evaporation
    • Install misters or cooling stations for employees and/or customers
    • Install air purifiers to help people who are disproportionately impacted by air pollution

Application Submission and Review

How to submit your application:

  1. Complete applications must be submitted by the closing date and time: Late applications will not be accepted without prior approval from REC.
  2.  Applications are to be submitted via REC link.
  3. Paper or Word Doc submissions may be arranged on a case-by-case basis by contacting the REC. in advance of the submission deadline.
  4.  We strongly recommend that you review the required application materials in this packet and complete and save a copy of all questions / organize all additional documents to upload before beginning the Form application. You may copy and paste your responses into the required fields. This will avoid the potential for lost information due to connectivity issues.

Application Review Process:

  1. The Scoring Committee will evaluate each proposal.
  2. If the Scoring Committee has any clarifying questions, you will be notified.
  3. The Scoring Committee reviews all grant applications for the REC Grants and determines awards
  4. The Scoring Committee makes every effort to award a minimum of one project per category. However, awards are competitive as a whole; it is not guaranteed that all categories will have projects that receive funding.
  5. The Scoring Committee reserves the right, solely at its discretion, to:
    1. Refuse any application or any grant, in whole or in part, for any reason.
    1. Require additional information from the applicant prior to making a decision.

Review and Funding Process

  1. If your project is selected for funding, you will meet with the REC staff to complete paperwork for processing.
  2. After the paperwork is processed, any activities you pursue can be reimbursed. /Applicants may not request reimbursement for activities completed prior to award notification.

Grant Recipient Requirements and Reporting

  1. Must have a CPSE CleaResult energy assessment report conducted.
  2. Attend a post-award meeting with REC staff within the first month of the project start date to review the project timeline and goals
  3. Finish the project within a year of receipt of grant funds
  4. Provide project milestones and metrics in consultation with the Office of Sustainability/ staff
  5. Provide a final report 30 days following project completion, including photo or video documentation of the project (a final report template will be provided). This report requires documentation of expenses (Example: scanned copies of all expense receipts.)
  6. If the completed work does not meet the intent of the original project application and award of funds, the applicant will be required to return any funds disbursed.
  7. Register your business with Energy Star Portfolio Manager

Support for Grant Writing

The Office of Sustainability provides the following opportunities for support in the grant writing process. We strive for equity and inclusion.

Application Materials Information and Checklist

  • The final pages of this application packet include detailed information about the application materials required for submission. This includes the optional budget template in Appendix C.
  • Appendix A includes Grant Writing Tips for Success.
  • Appendix B includes an application checklist – applicants should use the checklist to make sure their application is complete before submission.

Grant Evaluation Criteria

The Office of Sustainability will evaluate each grant using a scoring rubric.

The following criteria are included in the rubric:

  1. Application Completion and Clarity
  2. Budget / Feasibility / Schedule
  3. Conformity with Category -Specific Goals
  4. Project Rationale
  5. Project Longevity
  6. Alignment with SA Climate Ready Plan
  7. Preference for applicants within RevitalizeSA Quintana Corridor and participation in corridor project.

Grant Information and Application Information Sessions

 The REC will host one virtual information session, two in person information and application support sessions, and will host grant office hours where a staff member is available to help answer questions and assist in the grant process.

Grant Application Opens – January 29th 

Grant Orientation Meeting – February 10th (@ Quintana meeting 2031 Quintana Rd, San Antonio, TX 78211) 

Summit Workshop Meeting – February 26th (@ The REC, 2612 W SouthCross Blvd) 

Grant Application Close – March 6th New Deadline Friday March 20th 5pm

Grant Awards Announced – March 23rd Friday April 10th

Questions about your application?

 We welcome all questions about your application and the process. Please email info@rendonec.com with your questions.

 

REC Grant Application

All application materials are described in detail here. We strongly recommend that you complete this application in an offline program and save a copy for yourself. You can then copy/paste your responses into the Microsoft Forms application link found on the grant website.

Summary of Project Information:

Q1: Project Title:

Q2: Contact Person (Name and Title)

Q3: Business Name

Q4: Brief Description of Business Activities:

Q5: Contact Address:

Q6: Contact Email Address:

Q7: Contact Telephone Number:

Q8: Physical Address:

Q9: Tax ID#

Q10: Please select your primary project category. This is the category of sustainability

that your project is most closely designed to align with. The available categories are:

1 – Reduce Building Energy Emissions    2 – Reduce the Urban Heat Island and Provide Community Cooling

*Note: It may be helpful to refer to the “Category Objectives” information in the grant application packet (pages 5-7) to determine which category best fits your project

Q11: Project Summary: Please describe the project in one to three sentences.

Q12. Funds Requested (not to exceed $10,000 total). Requests below this amount are perfectly acceptable)

Project Narrative:

Q13: Briefly describe the project and the positive impact it will have on the Greater Quintana Community. Include a statement and/or evidence for why the project is needed. Include in appropriate detail how the project aligns with thegrant goals. Include the geographic area/neighborhoods/communities affected.

Category-specific Objectives:

Q14. In question 10, a primary project category was selected. Each project category has its own objectives, which are listed on pages 4-6 in this Grant Guidelines Packet and on the Neighborhood Sustainability Grant website.

• Describe how your project aligns with the objectives of the category selected

Project Milestones and Timeline

Q15: Provide a list of project milestones with an approximate timeline (not to exceed 12 months). Include details necessary to accomplish each milestone.

Project Metrics

Q16: Describe metrics you will use to measure success. Link any tools you will use to measure success and/or track metrics.

Project Longevity

Q17: Describe how your project and/or its impact might continue beyond the grant term. Will the project have a lasting impact on the community?

Leveraging funds

Q18 If you are leveraging any local, state, and/or federal rebates or incentives on this project please identify the funds and how they will be used in the project. 

Other Project Details:

Q19: If appropriate, describe the site’s current use and relevant ownership details.

Detailed Budget and Budget Narrative:

Q20 Provide the total project budget in detail, specifying which aspects of the project are to be funded by the REC Grant and include any additional funding sources.

• The budget narrative should provide a general overview of how the grant funds would be used (funds cannot be used retroactively).

• Applicants should provide specific dollar amounts or when appropriate, dollar estimates for materials needed.

• Budget items will be evaluated based on necessity/appropriateness for the project; items should clearly relate to project needs and align with project objectives.

Community References:

Q21: Include at least two independent references with the following information for each:

• Name

• Affiliation

• Occupation

• Phone

• Email

Optional: Letter(s) of Support:

Q22: Letters of support are optional. If your application includes letters of support, please compile your letters into one PDF and upload (file size limited to 16MB). Use the following file name: Your Name_Your Project Title Abbreviated_Sustainability Grant_Month Year.

The online application will ask you to read the following statement and provide an electronic signature:

I have read and understood the information regarding my application for a REC Grant, and I understand that the grant money is not a prize for personal profit or gain and is strictly for the project described. I further understand that the City of San Antonio has the right to allocate and supervise the spending of the grant money and when projects do not proceed within the stated timetable, the City of San Antonio reserves the right to request that the grant be refunded. I understand that recipients of these grants may be invited by the City of San Antonio to participate in the promotion and publicity of the project.