Revisions to the current Existing Buildings, New Buildings, Commercial and Industrial Lighting and Multifamily Business Development Fund (BDF) will go into effect on June 1, 2019. The revisions below will offer some new reimbursement options including the following:
General changes:
- Increased reimbursement rates for rural, minority-owned and women-owned businesses
- Increased reimbursement rates for bilingual advertisements
- Updated annual maximum
Newly eligible BDF projects:
- Yelp
- Native advertising
- Advertorials
- Conferences and training
Discontinued project types:
- Yellow Pages/Dex advertisements for the Portland Metro region
- Website development costs
- Apparel and embroidery of the Trade Ally of Energy Trust logo (you are welcome to use the logo on your apparel, but we will no longer provide reimbursement)
Details (effective on June 1, 2019):
Reimbursement requirements
| Standard Trade Ally | MBE, WBE, VBE1 and Rural2 Trade Allies |
|---|---|
| Annual maximum: $3,000 Amount reimbursed: 100% up to annual maximum • Training maximums removed • Reimbursements eligible up to annual maximum | Annual maximum: $4,000 Amount reimbursed: 100% up to annual maximum • Training maximums removed • Reimbursements eligible up to annual maximum |
| Minimum reimbursement: • $75 for marketing • $75 for training | Minimum reimbursement: • $75 for marketing • $75 for training |
1Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) designate minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Rural businesses are designated as businesses that serve rural customers.
More information with links to the guidelines and a new application form will be included in the May Insider issue. For questions, please contact Ashley Prentice, trade ally project manager, at 503.459.4070.