Birmingham opens BOLD proposals with up to $1.5 million available for economic-development projects
The City of Birmingham has opened a competitive application process for its 2027–2028 Building Opportunities for Lasting Development, or BOLD, program, making up to $1.5 million available for qualifying projects.
The city is seeking proposals intended to promote economic development, resilience and mobility. The funding has not been awarded, and the eventual number and identities of grantees are not yet known.
Applications opened July 13, 2026, and must be submitted by 5 p.m. Central time on Aug. 13, 2026. Birmingham’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity administers the program for projects across the city.
Five stated priority areas
BOLD identifies five priority areas for proposed projects: small-business development, workforce development, eliminating barriers to opportunity, creative placemaking and high-growth industries.
The program therefore places city-backed funding in a competitive process for organizations or projects working in those areas, rather than providing an automatic award to every applicant. The city has not yet identified which proposals, if any, will receive funding.
The program materials describe the 2027–2028 performance period as running from Jan. 4, 2027, through Jan. 3, 2028. That means selected grantees would move into a defined one-year period after the application, review and approval process is completed.
Review and approval timeline
Written applications are scheduled to be reviewed from Aug. 17 through Aug. 28. Finalist presentations are scheduled for Sept. 15.
Grantee selections and negotiations are scheduled for Sept. 21 through Sept. 25. Those selections are not the final step: the city’s timeline calls for Birmingham City Council review in October and November.
An award announcement is scheduled for December 2026. Because awards remain subject to council approval, neither the available $1.5 million nor any prospective allocation should be treated as money already awarded to a particular project.
What the funding process means
The BOLD process gives applicants a route to compete for city-backed support in business growth, workforce and neighborhood-oriented development areas. It also establishes a public sequence of written review, finalist presentations, selection negotiations and council consideration before recipients are announced.
For applicants, the immediate deadline is Aug. 13 at 5 p.m. Central. For the city, the next known milestone after submissions close is the written-review period beginning Aug. 17.
Sources
- BOLD, City of Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity
- BOLD Economic Development Program Applications Open, Up to $1.5M Available from City of Birmingham, The Birmingham Times