Rochester groups push for grant money in 'Shark Tank'-style event

ROCHESTER — Presenting in front of more than 50 people shouldn't have been nerve-wracking for Michele Ensign, a former schoolteacher comfortable talking in groups. But Ensign never had to ask for thousands of dollars in front of a crowd before Wednesday.

She was one of 10 groups vying for money through the Rochester Downtown Alliance's (RDA) long-running Start-Up Event program, which changed up the application process this year. The RDA hosted a pitch night during which applicants persuaded a panel of judges such as on ABC's "Shark Tank" to fund their plans for events and activities in downtown Rochester.

For participants, the RDA's pitch night is a sign the downtown is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The alliance held its first pitch night in 2020, shortly before state leaders put Minnesota into lockdown.

"We thought, gosh, we see all these great ideas, why don't we share these with the community and build up some excitement around the process?" RDA Executive Director Holly Masek said.

The RDA set aside $25,000 for grants this year, including $10,000 from Destination Medical Center, though DMC officials upped their donation toward the end of the night.

Ten groups were chosen to present out of 23 total applicants. RDA officials gave $28,750 in grants, all told, and all 10 groups walked away with money.

This is the first year RDA officials felt comfortable holding another pitch night — and the first year Nick Novotny of My Town My Music again felt comfortable planning a Rochester Thaw music festival since he kickstarted it in 2019.

Novotny said he's not a fan of writing grant applications, so talking in public about his idea for the 30-act music fest worked out well — he received $5,000 for the festival.

"It's kind of a fun, different way of doing grant acquisition," he said.

Rochester Art Center Executive Director Pamela Hugdahl said she was apprehensive at first about pitching the art center's project, an artistic movement activity called "Families in Motion" that the center plans to present in conjunction with an exhibition later this year from St. Paul artist Anne Labovitz.

That changed after she saw some of the other events under consideration, which she hopes could lead to collaborations in the future.

"There are a couple of presenters I definitely want to reach out to and work with," she said. "That wouldn't have happened if we hadn't done this pitch."

The center received the $1,500 it asked for.

Applicants pitched ideas ranging from a battle of the bands (which garnered $3,000) to an East African women's cultural event ($3,500), a musical in the works ($1,500) to songwriters sessions ($1,000). And even a day at Mayo Park designed for families of children with special needs, spearheaded by Ensign.

Ensign, whose 8-year-old son is nonverbal autistic, is the creator behind Autism Resource Guide, which helps connect families with special needs in southeastern Minnesota to local resources.

She's setting up Sensory Sensitive Saturday on May 20, complete with petting zoos, turtle races, bouncy houses and more for children who might find other family events in Rochester too overstimulating.

"There's a lot of events in Rochester that are great for families, but I'm not going to even try with my son," Ensign told the judges. "That's just a lot of typical family events. … We need it to be changed."

Ensign admitted she was nervous before her speech on Wednesday. Still, her pitch worked: She asked for $3,000 but took away $4,000, along with some heartfelt praise and a few tears from the judges.

"I appreciate your courage to come out and put on an event that is so inclusive and needed in our community," Danielle Teal, one of the judges, told her.