$281K in expenses

There were 4 new 1200 Fund Advance loans that were approved and drawn down in 2024. The Advance loans have a provision for partial loan forgiveness based on the number of new jobs created and maintained for a specific period of time. (For the Advance loans with a partial loan forgiveness clause, quarterly job reporting is required in order to substantiate the amount of loan forgiveness that will be granted to the borrowers upon fulfillment of the loan agreements' job creation & maintenance requirements.) In 2024, there were no business entities that qualified for Advance loan forgiveness because of achieving their job creation and maintenance provisions of their loans; nor, did any of the Daycare related Advanced loans in 2024 meet the required number of childcare slots created and maintained for a specified amount of time, per their agreements. The Duluth Downtown and West End/Lincoln Park business and retail areas continue to suffer from the many business closings, from the effects of the COVID pandemic, with many empty and unoccupied office and retail spaces still remaining in 2024. In 2023, The 1200 Fund started the Mentorship Loan Program, which are low interest loans given to new businesses to assist them in their startup costs and to build credit, along with assistance from SCORE.org, known for their expert business knowledge & support for businesses. In 2024, the 1200 Fund gave 7 Mentorship loans. In 2024, 2 grants were given to a local non-profit foundation for 2 different child care grants, to promote growth of child care spots in the area, which is in great shortage; and 1 grant was given to a Business Club to promote their business district and to stimulate the growth & success of the area businesses.