Sample Grant Application Assessment

Scoring Summary — Section F.1 Criteria (100 Points Maximum)¹

1. Business Summary & Project Overview

17 / 20

2. Financial Viability & Budget

10 / 15

3. Job Creation & Economic Impact

18 / 30

4. Corridor Impact

13 / 15

5. Business Growth Plan

16 / 20

Estimated Total (Public Data Only) 74 / 100

This assessment uses only publicly available information. A complete application would include financial statements, project budgets, and job creation plans that could substantially increase scores in criteria 2 and 3. Scores reflect evidence available for review, not the applicant's actual qualification level.

1. Business Summary and Project Overview 17 / 20 pts

Arcay Chocolates (legal entity: ACK Chocolate Industries LLC) is a family-owned chocolate business in Washington D.C.² founded in Venezuela in 2006 by master chocolatier Anabella Arcay. The company relocated to the United States in 2017 and currently operates from two locations: a retail storefront at 3211 O Street NW in Georgetown³ and a production studio at La Cosecha in the Union Market District.⁴

The founder gained international notoriety after receiving 42 medals at the International Chocolate Awards,⁵ including seven World Chocolate Master designations.⁶ The product line includes handcrafted chocolate bonbons, bars, confections, gelato, ganache spreads, and baked goods, all made with all-natural ingredients. The business also provides corporate customization and catering services for events, weddings, and conferences.⁷

Arcay Chocolates is at its core a family effort: Anabella Arcay serves as master chocolatier; her husband Dario Berti manages operations and client relations; daughter Bella leads marketing and social media; and son Tomas supports production and organizes workshops.⁸

Prior DMPED grant participation is documented: ACK Chocolate Industries received an FY21 Great Streets Retail grant⁹ and an FY24 award under both the Great Streets Retail program and the Small Medium Business Growth Fund¹⁰ — indicating familiarity with program requirements and successful prior performance.

Reviewer Note: Public data supports a strong business summary. A complete application would add a specific project proposal with timeline, budget, and measurable goals. Per the RFA, the project must be completed within 18 months and include specific goals — a general operating budget will not be considered.¹¹ Score reflects demonstrated business strength absent a formal project proposal.

2. Financial Viability and Budget 10 / 15 pts

Publicly available financial data comes from the company's 2023 SEC Form C filing (SMBX bond prospectus).¹² As reported: FY2021 revenue was $253,694 and FY2022 revenue was $273,558, representing a 7.8% year-over-year increase. Total assets declined from $151,281 (FY21) to $127,764 (FY22), while long-term debt decreased from $80,098 to $61,326 — suggesting active debt repayment. Cost of goods sold was $31,583 in FY22, yielding a gross margin above 88%.

The company successfully completed a $124,000 community bond offering through SMBX¹³ at 10% yield, with proceeds designated for equipment purchases (50%) and construction costs (50%).¹⁴ This, combined with the Georgetown retail expansion from the original La Cosecha location, demonstrates the ability to raise capital and deploy it toward growth-oriented investments.

Product pricing ranges from $27 (6-piece bonbon box) to $82 (25-piece box),¹⁵ with the business also offering custom corporate orders. The dual-location model and diversified revenue streams (retail, catering, workshops, custom corporate) indicate multiple income channels.

Reviewer Note: The RFA requires a profit & loss statement and, if available, audited financials or IRS filings for the last three years.¹⁶ Public data provides a partial picture through the SEC filing (FY21-22 only). A full application would need current financials demonstrating ongoing viability. The bond repayment obligation (36 months at 10%) should be evaluated against cash flow. Score reflects available evidence; complete financials could raise this substantially.

3. Job Creation and Economic Impact 18 / 30 pts

This criterion carries the highest weight (30 points) and is the most application-dependent. The SEC filing listed 2 employees at the time of the 2023 bond offering,¹⁷ though the business operates with a core family team of four (Anabella, Dario, Bella, Tomas).¹⁸ The Georgetown expansion — from a La Cosecha counter operation to a full retail storefront — represents a physical scaling event that would typically require additional staff.

The company offers chocolate-making classes¹⁹ which create community economic activity and educational programming in the corridor. As Hispanic entrepreneurs,²⁰ the founders contribute to the diversity of Georgetown's commercial ecosystem. Their participation in events like the Georgetown Chocolate Tour (covered by NBC4 Washington, February 2026)²¹ indicates active corridor economic engagement.

The RFA specifically asks whether the business hires returning citizens, people with disabilities, or other populations facing employment obstacles.²² No public information is available on this point.

Reviewer Note: This is the area of greatest information gap. The RFA requires a specific list of roles to be created and a timeline for job creation. Public data can only demonstrate the business context for job creation (expansion, new location, growing product line) — the specific commitments would come from the application itself. A reviewer should flag this section for particularly careful evaluation of the applicant's job creation plan. Score is conservative pending application-specific data.

4. Corridor Impact 13 / 15 pts

Arcay Chocolates demonstrates strong corridor engagement in Georgetown. The business is actively involved in community organizations such as Georgetown Main Street and has participated in planning block parties and events on O Street.²³ The Georgetown Chocolate Tour — a corridor-wide event supporting multiple small businesses — featured Arcay prominently, with NBC4 Washington coverage in February 2026.²⁴

The business provides a distinctive amenity to the corridor: no comparable artisan chocolate shop operates in the Georgetown Great Streets area.²⁵ The combination of retail sales, in-store experiences (tasting, workshops), and the visual appeal of an award-winning chocolatier's storefront contributes to the corridor's identity as a destination for specialty food and artisan products.

The FY24 DMPED award announcement highlighted Arcay as one of eight "DC Makers" showcased at the grant awards event,²⁶ and the dual-location model (Georgetown + Union Market/La Cosecha) demonstrates the business's capacity to activate multiple commercial corridors.

Reviewer Note: Strong public evidence for corridor impact. The main gap is quantified foot-traffic data or corridor economic metrics, which would typically come from the application or DMPED's own corridor data.

5. Business Growth Plan 16 / 20 pts

The business has demonstrated a clear growth trajectory: from a home kitchen in Venezuela (2006), to a La Cosecha counter at Union Market (2017), to a full Georgetown retail storefront (2023-2024).²⁷ Each stage represented increased production capacity, broader customer reach, and new revenue streams.

Marketing mechanisms are well-established: 19,000+ Instagram followers, active social media presence, features in The Georgetowner²⁸ and NBC4,²⁹ and a 4.7-star rating on Yelp across 14 reviews.³⁰ The brand's 42 international awards provide ongoing marketing value. The business also used community bond offerings (SMBX) as both a capital-raising and community-engagement tool.³¹

The product line has expanded from bonbons to include chocolate bars, gelato, baked goods, custom corporate products, catering, and educational workshops — demonstrating continuous innovation and revenue diversification.

Reviewer Note: The RFA asks for a formal description of how the proposed project allows the business to stay competitive and grow, along with marketing mechanisms and general expansion plans.³² Public data shows strong organic growth evidence, but a complete application would formalize this into a forward-looking plan with specific milestones and targets.

Cross-Program Evaluation Framework Comparison

DMPED operates multiple grant programs with overlapping but distinct evaluation criteria. A reviewer working across programs benefits from understanding how scoring frameworks differ. Arcay Chocolates' documented status as a dual-program awardee (Great Streets Retail + Growth Fund)³³ makes this comparison directly relevant.

Criterion Area	Great Streets Retail (FY26)	Growth Fund (FY25/26)
Primary Focus	Corridor revitalization, retail retention	Job creation, commercial space occupancy
Job Creation Weight	30% (highest single criterion)	Central requirement (5+ new jobs over 2 years)³⁴
Financial Assessment	15% — P&L, balance sheet, 3yr financials	Significant economic impact demonstration
Location Requirement	Must be in designated Great Streets corridor	Commercial space in DC, preference for CBD
Maximum Award	$70,000 + $20,000 innovation top-up	Varies by applicant; program total ~$2M
Sector Preference	Retail and service-oriented small businesses	Consulting, tech, life sciences, communications

About This Assessment's Verification System
Every factual claim in this document is sourced from publicly accessible records and linked for independent verification. For full interactive functionality — including footnote navigation and clickable source verification — open this file in a web browser. Dotted underlines in the body text are direct links to the source passage — click to verify the claim against its original context. Superscript numbers link to footnotes with full source citations. This assessment was built from 34 sourced citations across 15 independent public sources, including DMPED program documents, SEC filings, local press, business listings, and the applicant's own website. All scoring criteria are drawn directly from the published FY2026 Great Streets Retail RFA, Section F.1. For a full account of how this assessment was built, see the project case study.