This case study was shared with ELGL by our friends at OpenGov.
St. Pete set out to provide relief to small businesses impacted by local COVID-19 orders through its Fighting Chance Fund – an emergency grant for locally-owned and independently-operated small businesses hurt by stay-at-home orders.
In order to stem the losses to businesses and individuals, St. Pete had to speed up its usual process for distributing grants, removing and consolidating steps while balancing a need for compliance and transparency. To help build a better workflow, the City turned to OpenGov for its expertise and workflow solution.
OpenGov worked with the St. Pete’s team to quickly implement a fully-digital, internet-based application process that enabled teams to work quickly, collaboratively, and remotely. Together, teams approved 2,356 applications from local businesses and individuals and distributed millions of dollars in the moment of need.
“The challenge of identifying community funding needs and allocating funds efficiently and transparently forced us to rethink everything. With OpenGov we simplified the applicant experience and the workflow for our staff, while maintaining the right level of data for compliance reporting and transparency.”
Anne Fritz, CFO, City of St. Petersburg, FL