Grow Smarter’s goal is to build a vibrant, diversified economy that benefits all. Now more than ever, this mission is crucial. With the support of our community partners, Grow Smarter created a comprehensive response to COVID-19: one we hope will help build resilience and continued prosperity for all of St Pete. 

Based on our Community Needs Assessment, we have launched the following resource support and community investment initiatives: 

• To respond to the shift to remote work and learning, Grow Smarter is funding one year of GoZone Wi-Fi connectivity on the Deuces Live corridor, as well as two additional GoZone Wi-Fi hotspots in South St. Petersburg. Our partners at the Innovation District put together a concise How-To for using the hotspots.. We are also supporting a Resource and Resiliency Hub located at the Warehouse Arts District Association to support residents who are affected by COVID-19 in partnership with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Feeding Tampa Bay, Bay Area Legal Council, Deuces Live, One Community, and other organizations.  
• Grow Smarter is providing funding to St Pete Arts Alliance to support programming, like webinars and virtual informational sessions, geared toward artists affected by COVID.We are contributing $25,000 to One Community’s #InThisTogether COVID Support program, to be distributed to businesses and residents of South St. Pete in the form of microgrants, new contracts, and new gigs. One Community is a key partner of Grow Smarter and we appreciate their leadership and speed in creating this much needed fund. 

• To help retrain those who find themselves out of work, we are creating an endowed Grow Smarter Scholarship Program at SPC, of which $25,000 will be distributed this year. The scholarship will support students studying in Grow Smarter’s targeted industry areas: . We will aim to amplify this investment by soliciting additional donations from other partners.