Are you a small business in Portland impacted by COVID?

Are you now (or interested in becoming) involved in delivering climate solutions and seizing the opportunities coming as a result of increased government investment in climate, recovery, and infrastructure?

In partnership with Prosper Portland, the Professional Business Development Group, and GCAP (Government Contracting Assistance Program), VertueLab is excited to offer a range of programs to support businesses like you.

This program offers:

• Opportunity Scanning.  An increasing number and variety of climate action, transportation, and infrastructure funding opportunities are being issued and anticipated in coming years. This program can help scan policies and funding solicitations for contract opportunities for small Green Cities companies like yours.
• Assistance in Pursuing Government Contracts. Businesses with skills, services, and technologies that are needed by the government struggle to access contracts due to bureaucratic hurdles that can be unfamiliar and daunting. This program can help you handle the process and develop the ability to successfully land government contracts.
• Research and Development Grant Writing Support. Applying for federal funding is complex and challenging. Few companies have the knowledge of and ability to navigate arcane government vocabulary, processes, and forms. This program can put your experience to work for you by assisting in writing proposals for non-dilutive federal funding for research and development.
• Mentorship. The pathway to generating wealth from climate solutions can be unclear, with many administrative hurdles – but we believe that this program can connect you with valuable support from mentors and coaches who can help you navigate the path to the climate tech sector as suppliers, contractors, or service providers.

Take the first step today by letting VertueLab know you’re interested in getting support. Visit this website to learn more, fill out the intake form below and someone from our team will be in touch.

Portland Means Progress (PMP) is a Greater Portland-based initiative that provides connections for businesses to hire local underrepresented students and young professionals of color, purchase from businesses owned by people of color, and create diverse and vibrant workforce and company cultures. The goal is to connect businesses to programming that supports social impact, creating a pipeline for private-sector engagement. View the most recent Portland Means Progress Impact Report. 

When your business signs up to be a Portland Means Progress member, you gain access to free programming to support your company in its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) journey. A few of such member-only resources and events are listed below. Contact Katherine Krajnak, Green Cities Liaison, at krajnakk@prosperportand.us to see if PMP might be a fit for your company.  

Events open to all (you do not need to be a Portland Means Progress member) 

• My People’s Market: My People’s Market is an excellent way to find BIPOC vendors to support catering, corporate gifts and other services. My People’s Market 10 will take place September 17 & 18 at the Bridge Lot at OMSI. 

Upcoming Portland Means Progress member-only events and programs: 

• My People’s Market lunch for Portland Means Progress business members
• Access to a Mercatus Purchasing Liaison who can provide connections to local BIPOC-owned businesses based on your organization’s purchasing needs! 
• he Portland Means Progress Members Area has recordings of past trainings, access to the Equity Commons to connect with local racial equity practitioners, and registration info for future events & programming.  
• Coming soon: A four-part series on how to host meaningful internships, an Inclusive Policy Lab, Portland Means Progress Company Teach-Ins, opportunities to build connections with Equity Commons practitioners, and intentional purchasing best practice sharing.

Policy and Federal Funding webinars

The State of Oregon held webinars over the summer on various topics to help shed light on clean energy policy and deployment in Oregon. 

• Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE)Informational Webinars on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Funding in Oregon
• ODOE Workshop on the Renewable Hydrogen Study
• Oregon Department of Transporation (ODOT) Webinars on Five-Year EV Charging Infrastructure Roadmap and National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure State Plan

Matching Grant Applications Open for Recipients of SBIR and STTR Program Awards

Business Oregon has opened a Request for Grant Applications for applicants that have received a federal Phase I or Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award that may be eligible for a state matching grant. An Oregon company that has received a recent Phase I SBIR or STTR award may submit a proposal for a project up to $50,000. A company with a recent Phase II or Fast-track award may submit a proposal for a project up to $100,000.

To apply for a matching grant, complete an application form, which can be accessed at Business Oregon’s SBIR webpage. Submit the signed application along with the additional required documentation to mark.brady@biz.oregon.gov. Applications are due no later than 11:59 pm PDT on Friday, October 7, 2022.

Renewable hydrogen is a frequent topic now in the clean energy community. Hydrogen’s potential as the ‘Swiss Army knife’ of decarbonization and its promise to help clean up the most difficult-to-decarbonize sectors makes it an important tool in the clean energy and clean transportation toolkit.

The Renewable Hydrogen Alliance (RHA) is a key resource in the Pacific Northwest’s hydrogen landscape. It’s a non-profit headquartered in Portland and founded in June 2018 by Pacific NW energy stakeholders including the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), Northwest Natural, Forth and 3Degrees. We asked Michelle Detwiler, Executive Director of RHA, to shed some light on this growing industry.  | Read the full interview here