Insercorp is working with the Industrial Development Authority of the City of Hampton, VA to offer up to $10,000.00 towards new website development, consulting, or search engine optimization for businesses legally operating in the City of Hampton.

Do you own or operate a business in the City of Hampton and are in need of a new website, e-commerce solutions, search engine optimization, or consulting services?  Find out how you can qualify for up to $10,000.00 of services from Insercorp through Hampton's Website Grant program!  It's easy and there's no strings attached!

If you are interested in more information or qualifying for up to $10,000.00 in grants from the City of Hampton please contact us online or call us at 757-337-2940 and ask to speak to a Sales Representative today!

The types of assistance to be provided by the Service Provider to the Grantee(s) under the Program include, but are not limited to the following e-commerce services:

• Web Design and Development Services including custom website design, information architecture and graphic user interface planning, database driven website design and development, content management solutions, usability testing, advanced scripting and programming, custom database development, collaboration and social networking (Web 2.0), website accessibility analysis, and maintenance contracts.
• Consultation Services including information technology strategic planning, ecommerce needs and marketing assessments, domain name registration assistance, hosting service needs assessments, website analytics, and website security assessments and testing tools.
• Internet Marketing Services including email marketing, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, eNewletters, blogs, RSS, Wikis.
• E-Commerce Services including shopping carts, donation and membership systems, online security assessments and testing tools.
• Such other services as may be agreed between the Service Provider and Grantee(s).

 
Definitions

Small business is defined as a business which is at least 51% independently owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are U.S. citizens or legal resident aliens, and together with affiliates, has 250 or fewer employees, or average annual gross receipts of $10 million or less averaged over the previous three years. One or more of the individual owners shall control both the management and daily business operations of the small business.

Minority/Women owned business is defined as one in which one or more minority individuals control at least 51 percent of the voting stock or ownership and manages daily operations. Minority groups are defined as:

• African Americans
• Hispanic Americans
• Native Americans
• Asian-Pacific Americans
• Asian-Indian Americans
• Women

Minority/Women owned businesses must be certified by the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise.

E-Commerce Program Grant Amounts

Grants are made on a first-come, first served basis and eligibility is determined at the discretion of the Hampton E-Commerce Grant Administrator.

Non-minority owned businesses - grants shall not exceed 50 percent of the total project cost up to a maximum of $10,000 once every three years.

Minority owned businesses - grants shall not exceed 60 percent of the total project cost up to a maximum of $10,000 once every three years.

Approval Criteria

• Must be a for-profit business currently licensed in and with its principal office located within the City of Hampton.
• Projects must be legal, no adult only material, ethical, and commercially viable.
• Applicants must use preapproved Certified E-Commerce Grant Service Providers.
• Grant funds cannot be awarded for a project which has been initiated prior to the approval of a grant application.
• Grants are to be used for the creation or enhancement of e-commerce sites and cannot be used for domain registration, web hosting, general maintenance services, or annual subscriptions.
• Certified Service Providers are not eligible to receive grants for their own websites or to create or make enhancements to an affiliated business website.

Approved Grant Uses

Consultation Services – information technology strategic planning, ecommerce needs and marketing assessments, domain name registration assistance, hosting service needs assessments, website analytics, and website security assessments and testing tools.

Web Design and Development Services – custom website design, information architecture and graphic user interface planning, database driven website design and development, content management solutions, usability testing, advanced scripting and programming, custom database development, collaboration and social networking (Web 2.0), website accessibility analysis, and maintenance contracts.

E-Commerce Services – Shopping carts, donation and membership systems, and online security assessments and testing tools.

Internet Marketing Services – email marketing, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, eNewsletters, blogs, RSS, Wikis.

Other e-commerce innovations as approved at the discretion of the Hampton E-Commerce Grant Administrator.

Grant Application Process

Qualified business obtains printed application from City website or by other means.

Applicant contacts at least two (2) certified service providers to obtain a minimum of two (2) quotes for work it wants done. Applicant, at its discretion, selects a service provider to perform the work.

Applicant completes the application form, signs and submits the application to the Hampton Department of Economic Development (HDED) with the two (2) quotes via fax, mail, or hand delivery but no on-line submittals allowed (see attached application).

Letter and e-mail are sent to the Applicant verifying the receipt of the application.

Application is reviewed and is approved or denied by HDED, in its sole discretion, within three (3) to five (5) business days. (Requires checking status of Hampton Business License, current on Hampton business taxes, Small, Women and Minority-Owned Business (SWAM) status, review scope of work to verify the eligibility of services, etc.).

Letter and e-mail are sent to Applicant informing it of the decision and, if approved, providing notice of the amount of grant funding it is eligible to receive.

Applicant must obtain a contract with service provider setting forth the scope of the services to be performed and work done by the service provider. The contract must be approved by the IDA and will be attached to, and become a part of the Grant Agreement between the Applicant and the IDA. The contract with the service provider should be conditioned upon the approval by the IDA and the issuance of the Grant.

Once the project is completed the Applicant must complete a “Customer Satisfaction Survey”.

If you are interested in more information or qualifying for up to $10,000.00 in grants from the City of Hampton please contact us online or call us at 757-337-2940 and ask to speak to a Sales Representative today!