New Report Shows Neighborhood Businesses in NYC Are Eager to Respond to City’s Needs
One of nation’s oldest micro-funding organizations to host citywide #Allin4NYC Day of Action on Saturday Dec. 5
NEW YORK – As the U.S. braces for the impacts of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Citizens Committee for New York City (CitizensNYC) is calling on New Yorkers to do their part in helping the city recover from the devastating events of 2020. A new report released by the organization today, shows that small businesses in the city are not only applying for relief funding in record numbers, but that entrepreneurs are looking for creative ways to adapt their business models to the challenges of COVID-19. Some small business owners are looking to directly respond to, and support, the urgent needs of the city.
CitizensNYC created its neighborhood business grant program earlier this year, to help small businesses who were experiencing financial distress because of the pandemic. The new report found that small business owners who applied to its the grant program:
Applicants mostly represented five key industries including education & child care, the arts, local restaurants, retail and wellness and beauty services
Many owners are pivoting business models to help keep essential services afloat:
For examples day camps, restaurants looking to donate food to frontline workers and retail stores who now make masks
96 percent of our grant applications have 10 employees or fewer
2/3 of applicants came from women-owned businesses and the majority of applicants self- identified as a person of color
Almost a quarter of our applicants were African American women business owners
More than half of businesses were owned by 1st or 2nd generation immigrants
Now, CitizensNYC is hosting a day of action on Saturday, Dec. 5th in honor of its founding which began during the NY financial crisis, 45 years ago. The #Allin4NYC Day of Action is meant to encourage community leaders to get to know their neighbors and look for ways to curate solutions together and help rebuild the city. The organization is also encouraging New Yorkers to shop local!
In 2020, CitizensNYC provided 402 projects with nearly $1.2M in direct cash grants, impacting more than 87,685 residents in 122 neighborhoods across all five boroughs.
“We’ve seen how the citizens of this city continue to fill in the gaps, often where federal and state institutions fall short,”said Dr. Rahsaan Harris, CEO of Citizens Committee for New York City. “We are a village of small business owners, activists, artists, and community gatekeepers improving New York City neighborhoods, and in this moment of crisis we believe we as a city must trust grassroots leaders, support them and give them the right platforms to thrive.”
CitizensNYC looks to continue to support and expand it’s networking of more than 15,000 community leaders who often at a moment's notice are ready to roll up their sleeves and take action.
On Saturday, December 5 the organization is asking New Yorkers to "roll up their sleeves" for an #Allin4NYC Day of Action – to encourage citizens to do anything they feel will help improve their neighborhood, in a safe, socially distanced way – and to ensure that New York City comes back stronger than ever.
About Citizen Committee for New York City:
Citizens Committee for New York City’s mission is to help New Yorkers - especially those in low-income areas - come together and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Residents are uniquely situated to define and act on the issues affecting their communities. When provided with modest support, neighborhood and school groups can effectively mobilize with the assistance of grants, skills-building workshops, project planning assistance and an equipment share library. In 2019, we provided 596 projects with $2.3 million in grants and services, impacting more than 130,000 residents in 164 different neighborhoods across the five boroughs. Since 1975, we have promoted the spirit of volunteerism, local engagement, and social justice that drives our work. Go to citizensnyc.org to learn more.