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ST. LOUIS — The city’s economic development chief on Tuesday conceded some shortcomings in his department’s rollout of a $37 million grant program for north St. Louis businesses. But he said his team is working hard to address concerns and explain itself to the public.

St. Louis Development Corporation CEO Neal Richardson told an aldermanic committee that his staff is double-checking hundreds of applications from businesses in line for grants. It’s working to make the program more transparent, aiming to release redacted applications and conflict-of-interest forms. And an internal investigation will be conducted to ensure no one within SLDC exercised any undue influence on the awards, he said.

“We made some mistakes,� Richardson said. “But we have time to rectify those mistakes and rectify those errors, and we’re going to do that.�

Richardson also emphasized that the vast majority of organizations awarded grants earlier this summer haven’t received the promised money, and won’t get any until they’re fully vetted. Nor will any business that doesn’t meet eligibility requirements or cannot do what they’ve promised.

The barrage of information Tuesday marked Richardson’s latest effort to allay growing concerns about a high-profile program amid criticism from rejected applicants, and media reports raising questions about grant winners — some with ties to an alderman, others with addresses in empty buildings — in line for as much as $739,000.

He also agreed last week to bring any grant worth $25,000 or more back to SLDC’s board for a second round of approval after board members expressed concerns that they authorized grants before vetting was complete.

The program, paid for with federal pandemic relief money, is supposed to be a big win for the city. Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and other officials have talked about the cash as a way to restore vibrancy to forgotten corridors and offer opportunities to people left out for decades.

But political infighting over how best to distribute the money delayed the rollout, prompting complaints from business owners. And SLDC’s decision to address those concerns by announcing grant winners before fully vetting their information has opened up a can of worms.

Organizations in line for money included one with its offices in Shrewsbury, two in vacant buildings unlikely to be revived with $25,000 or $50,000 grants, and three with ties to the family of Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard, who sponsored the grants bill and sits on the SLDC board.

Richardson and a top lieutenant acknowledged concerns about the process Tuesday, and suggested SLDC may have put too much faith in a third-party contractor, Grow America, to review an initial batch of applications for the grants.

“We felt pretty confident in those,� said Lorna Alexander, SLDC’s program compliance chief. “Now with all the investigative reporting, we should have spent a little more time looking at them.�

Grow America could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

But Alexander said that another firm, Morgan Graves Consultants, is reviewing applications now, and that SLDC staff is double-checking the work.

And she said that despite recent controversy, the vast majority of the grants are going to legitimate destinations.

Multiple aldermen thanked Richardson and Alexander for the information. Some offered sympathy for the burden of administering a new program inundated with roughly 700 applications and big expectations.

Alderman Michael Browning, of Forest Park Southeast expressed some measured optimism.

“I think there’s probably some more questions,� he said in a brief interview. “But today, I think there’s a plan to move forward, and that’s what we need right now.

Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, of downtown, was of similar mind.

“I think it’s a start,� he said.