The City of San Diego supports local nonprofits that foster the City’s economic prosperity and quality of life. Funding opportunities are available to local nonprofits that launch, expand, attract or retain businesses in the City, advancing San Diego's position as an innovation hub and tourist destination. The Maritime Alliance, which received FY2018 Economic Development Funding, opened a BlueTech Incubator (pictured) in La Jolla in October to grow and assist ocean- and water-based industries advance San Diego's position as a global leader in blue technology. 

WARNING:  The SeamlessDocs Application does NOT allow you to save your work and continue it later. The entire Application must be completed in one session. It is recommended that you download the  Sample Application to see the questions, prepare your responses and copy-and-paste the responses into the SeamlessDocs application for submittal. All Applications and Required Attachments must be submitted electronically via the City’s SeamlessDocs portal.

• FY2019 Application available through SeamlessDocs:   Open application
  Sample Application in PDF format (For draft purposes only. Not for submission. Updated January 22)
• FY2019 Required Attachment: Financial Details (Excel Spreadsheet) (Updated Jan. 26)
                                                            Financial Details (Updated Jan. 26)

Application deadline: Monday, Feb. 5, 2018 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time

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Recommended Resources

• FY2019 Application Guidelines
• January 11 Technical Assistance Workshop slidedeck (DRAFT updated January 9)
• Frequently Asked Questions No. 1 and 2 (Posted January 26)

Please see Key Dates (Below) to learn about application assistance including a technical workshop and a Q&A session.

For questions, email us at [email protected] or call us at 619-236-6700.

Eligibility

An eligible nonprofit has a mission or project that closely aligns with one of the following:

• Goal A: Creates, retains and/or expands small businesses with a neighborhood-based focus, excluding Business Improvement Districts. Past recipients of these Small Business Enhancement Program (SBEP) Microdistrict funds include Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce and BAME Renaissance CDC.
• Goal B: Creates, retains and/or expands non-base sector small businesses by offering a program to small businesses Citywide, not focusing on specific commercial neighborhoods with BIDs or microdistricts. Past recipients of SBEP Citywide funds include ACCION San Diego and Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC). 
• Goal C: Promotes the City of San Diego as a visitor destination, enhancing the Tourism base sector. Past recipients include Cabrillo National Monument Foundation and Travelers Aid.
• Goal D: Enhances San Diego's economic standing and reputation as a Smart City and a center for innovation, entrepreneurship and technology development for base-sector businesses (Manufacturing & Innovation, International Trade/Logistics, or Defense). Past recipients include business incubators and accelerators such as CyberTECH, EvoNexus and The Maritime Alliance.

Key Dates and Resources

• January 3 (Wednesday): Application available
  SeamlessDocs application is posted online.
  Required attachment: Financial Details (Excel spreadsheet or Fillable PDF)
  Recommended reading: FY2019 Application Guidelines.
• January 11 (Thursday), 2:30-4 p.m.: Technical Assistance Workshop
  Mission Valley Library, Community Room, 2123 Fenton Pkwy., San Diego, CA 92108
  City staff will walk through the application process.  Slidedeck
• January 18 (Thursday) : Online FAQ Posting No. 1
  A compilation of answers to frequently asked questions about the FY2019 Economic Development Funding will be posted online at this webpage.
• January 24 (Wednesday), 2-4 p.m.: Technical Assistance FAQ Session
  Mission Valley Library, Community Room, 2123 Fenton Pkwy., San Diego, CA 92108
  City staff will be available to answer questions for walk-ins.
• January 30 (Tuesday): Online FAQ Posting No. 1 and 2
  An updated compilation of answers to FAQ about the FY2019 Economic Development Funding will be posted online at this webpage.
• February 5 (Monday), 5 p.m. PT: Application deadline

The Economic Development Funding Program covers Economic Development and Tourism Support (EDTS) and Citywide Economic Development Support (CEDS), which allocate Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue to promote San Diego as a destination; and the Small Business Enhancement Program (SBEP), which support efforts Citywide and in Microdistricts.