Neighborhood Voluntary Tax Incentive Contribution Agreement (VTICA) Application

Neighborhood Voluntary Tax Incentive Contribution Agreement (VTICA) Application
Overview

The Neighborhood Voluntary Tax Incentive Contribution Agreement (VTICA) is part of the City of Cincinnati’s Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) Program in which commercial tax abatement recipients contribute 15% of the value of a development tax incentive back to affordable housing (7.5%) and neighborhood quality of life projects (7.5%).

The purpose of Neighborhood VTICA funds are to improve the quality of life within a neighborhood. Neighborhood VTICA contributions may be allocated to permanent improvement projects such as monumentation, placemaking events, pedestrian safety projects, landscaping/streetscaping, neighborhood signage, parks or improvement of public lands or buildings, street lighting, and other permanent improvements; and neighborhood service programs furthering urban redevelopment such as educational programs for adults or children, programs benefiting seniors or low-income households, workforce training, and other neighborhood service programs.

HomeBase Cincinnati administers the Neighborhood VTICA program and the portion of funding allocated to neighborhood quality of life projects. The amount of money individual neighborhoods have available is based on how many new developments, with a CRA that includes a VTICA, come to that neighborhood. Under the current ordinance, the Neighborhood VTICA funding must be used within the neighborhood for which the funding was collected and cannot be combined and shared with other neighborhoods. (See Section 8 of City Ordinance 275 – 2017).

Eligibility Requirements

Please read through the eligibility requirements to prevent your application from being rendered ineligible and rejected.

Neighborhood Eligibility:

VTICA Funding is available according to the number of development projects taking place in each neighborhood and thus the availability of funding per community varies.
1. Neighborhood VTICA Threshold - For this process, each neighborhood should have at least $10,000 of VTICA funds collected by HomeBase Cincinnati from their respective neighborhood development projects to be eligible to apply for VTICA funding. HomeBase will inform a neighborhood’s community organizations when this threshold is reached.
2. City Approval - If the amount requested exceeds $50,000 then additional approval from the City Council is required.
Organizational Eligibility:

Any business association, community council, community development corporation, or community-based organization housed within a neighborhood that meets the following criteria may apply for VTICA funding that is available within their neighborhood:
1. Nonprofit Status - Applying organizations must be a registered 501(c)(3), or if not a 501(c)(3), the organization’s registered State of Ohio non-profit status for the state of Ohio. Provide either:
  1. IRS determination letter or if a 501(c)(3) or,
  2. Proof of active status as a non-profit in the State of Ohio – Certificate of Continuing Existence
2. Neighborhood Improvement Proof - The organization submitting an application must demonstrate that some portion of its purpose / mission is to promote the quality of life and growth of a neighborhood. Evidence of such purpose may be shown in any one or more of the following ways:
  1. in the language of the entity’s formation documents;
  2. in the language of the entity’s governing documents;
  3. Board resolution or Board Minutes;
  4. By providing minutes of meetings (including sign-in sheets of meetings, if available) of the entity that show evidence of the purpose; or
  5. Any other documentation of the entity that shows evidence of the purpose that is acceptable to the City of Cincinnati Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
3. Organization's Officers and/or Staff - The organization must provide the following:
  1. Current staff, officers, or volunteer members and their positions / or titles, whichever is applicable to the formation of your organization.
  2. List of current board members
4. Organizational and Project Budgets
  1. Organization’s Total Operating Budget
  2. Proposed Budget for the applicable Project. Please download and use the budget template provided: Click here to download template
  3. List of Leveraged Funding Sources
5. Neighborhood Organization Collaboration - Proof of intra-community organization collaboration or support for the project; i.e. communications with or letters of support from community council, business associations, community development corporations, and/or other relevant community based organizations. Applicants should at minimum demonstrate attempted collaboration or notification to other community organizations in the neighborhood.
Eligible Project/ Programs:

Eligible projects fall into three categories listed below.
1. Neighborhood Service Programs - Eligible expenses may include program costs such as program materials utility bills, renting space, general operating expenses, paid staff, etc
2. Implementation Projects - Eligible expenses may include acquisition costs, paid staff, external consultants, project materials, or other project costs for park improvements, pedestrian safety/ streetscape improvements, development projects etc.
3. Community Engagement & Placemaking - Eligible expenses may include anything that brings the community together around a goal, such as murals, recreation, arts, placemaking, social events, etc.
Application Timeline:
- Application Open August 1st, 2025
- Applications due by September 15, 2025 at 5:00pm EDT
- Application Review & Selection Committee Meets - September 2025*
- Award Announcements - October 2025*
* Please note, this timeline is subject to change.

If you have any questions about this application or VTICA please contact Emma Shirey-McNamara at emma.mcnamara@homebasecincy.org or 513-478-6110.

Applicant Information
1. Name of Applicant (Organization name)
2. Legal Entity (if different from Applicant name)
3. Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
4. Primary Contact Name

First NameLast Name
5. Primary Contact Phone Number
Please enter a valid phone number.
6. Primary Contact Email
example@example.com
7. Secondary Contact Name

First NameLast Name
8. Secondary Contact Phone Number
Please enter a valid phone number.
9. Secondary Contact Email
example@example.com
10. Neighborhood
11. Amount of Request (> $50,000 requires approval from Cincinnati City Council)
Project/Program Information
12. Which category does your project/program fall under, please select all that apply:

Neighborhood Service ProgramsImplementation ProjectsCommunity Engagement & Placemaking
13. Briefly (in two to four sentences) describe the project/program and the intended community impact.
14. Provide a short outline of how the requested VTICA funds will be used. (Please attach proforma for development projects in the "Required Attachments" section below.)
15. Provide a scope of work or implementation plan for the project/program. Please include information on what confirmed (or potential) individuals or organizations will be involved.
16. Provide an overview of the timeline for the project/program. Please include specific steps/activities, responsible person/group for carrying out the activities, and anticipated date the steps will be completed.
17. Please describe how this project aligns with your neighborhood plan, organizational strategic plan, and/or community action plan(s).
18. What are the measurable short-term and long-term outcomes of this project/program?
19. Briefly describe how this project/program meets the intended purpose of VTICA funds, to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood.
20. If applicable, briefly describe how you will be collaborating with other community organizations in your neighborhood on this project?
21. Please list other funding sources that will be used for this program/project or that this proposal has been submitted to. For each, indicate the amount requested, the status of the request (i.e. submitted, pending, funded, or declined), and if funded, specify amount.

Required Attachments
Proof of organization's nonprofit status (IRS letter of determination 501(c)(3) or Certificate of Continuing Existence)*

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Proof that some portion of the applicant's purpose / mission is to promote the quality of life and growth of the neighborhood for which the applicant is applying for VTICA funds.*

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Please provide a list of the organization’s members/volunteers, staff, and/or board officers with titles and emails as described in the "Eligibility Requirements" section on page one. *

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Organization’s operating budget for the most recently completed fiscal year. (If an organization is volunteer based, please calculate the total value of donated goods and services and/or volunteer hours you expect to be included in this project, and an example of volunteer hours from a previous project.)*

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Proposed project budget or proforma (Please download and use budget template provided in the "Eligibility Requirements" section on page one).*

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Optional Attachments
Please upload letters of support from other community organizations within the neighborhood.

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Letters of support from organizations outside the neighborhood, if applicable.

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Additional documentation in support of this project that you feel the review committee should see.

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Neighborhood Voluntary Tax Incentive Contribution Agreement (VTICA) Application

Overview

Eligibility Requirements

Application Timeline:

Applicant Information

Project/Program Information

Required Attachments

Optional Attachments