Bronx Business News You Can Use

Is your business eligible for M/WBE certification but you haven’t found the time to certify officially? The time is now!

Major locally-based corporations are actively seeking to contract with certified MWBE small and microbusinesses – recently, several of our larger partners have reached out to the Chamber for recommendations for MWBE-certified Bronx businesses to contract with, including microbusinesses as small as one-person cupcake companies to be catering providers for institutional events!

Contact daniela@bronxchamber.org to get started. You can also sign up for a certification webinar (see below).

M/WBE Certification Webinar (FRENCH)

Wednesday, June 23^rd, 2021 | 10:00am – 11:30am

M/WBE Certification Webinar (HAITIAN CREOLE)

Wednesday, June 30^th, 2021 |2:00pm – 3:30pm

Alfresco NYC is providing grants and technical assistance to restaurants to help them operate outdoor dining easily and affordably.

Deadline to submit is June 21, 2021

To celebrate the Hispanic community and ensure that the businesses that play a fundamental role in shaping our society continue to thrive and grow, The PepsiCo Foundation is launching a new program to support Hispanic-owned small food & beverage businesses.

Learn more HERE

Deadline is June 25, 2021

Click Here for a helpful webinar on the $800 million small business recovery grant program, which will provide funding to small and micro businesses and small for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations to help them recover from the economic impact of the pandemic.

The deadline to apply for a PPP loan has passed; applications are no longer being accepted. But there are other loan opportunities you may have access to — you just have to know where to look. This guide outlines small business loans and alternative funding options, while this one lists more than 30 grants, loans and programs. And, the U.S. Small Business Association offers these seven SBA loan programs, which you may qualify for, as well.

Created to help bridge the funding gap for founders, the Stacy’s Rise Project has been connecting and empowering business owners for years. Mentorship and monetary support helped this brand rise from a humble sandwich cart to the nation’s supermarkets. And it’s these same resources that today’s small business owners need to succeed – now, more than ever. So that’s exactly what Stacy’s is offering to 10 entrepreneurs in their journey to make their dreams a reality with the latest iteration of the Rise Project.

The Stacy’s Rise Project™ supports small businesses through funding, mentorship and community. Eligible small businesses selected as Stacy’s Rise Project finalists will receive $10,000 and mentorship. Apply by sharing how a grant and mentorship opportunity would help grow your business.

Deadline July 9th

The Imaginal Scale-up Program for founders of Women-Led Product and Technology Companies looking to accelerate their growth, scale, and impact is open and ready to accept applications.

This new and innovative digital program, created by Imaginal Ventures, combined with a fully immersive platform and a bespoke online Eco-Space, will support the scaling of businesses, using evidenced based techniques that teach conscious decision-making and the building of a solid foundation to accelerate growth and impact.

Applications need to be submitted by July 16, 2021.

Now is the time to re-think your marketing plan, upgrade your technology skills, and capture market share. Join Lehman College faculty in a workshop series focused on digital marketing and leveraging technologies to reconnect with your clients and find new clients.

This workshop series culminates in being matched with an individual VERIZON technology mentor, who will coach you through identifying and evaluating different digital marketing solutions to help grow your business.

The Training for Your Employees program provides no-cost, online training to help NYC-based business owners and employees located in the areas hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To learn more and apply:

Call

888-SBS-4NYC

(888-727-4692)

Visit their WEBSITE

Dear Bronx Chamber Community:

We have partnered with our new member, Association for a Better New York, to assist in the production of a robust directory featuring businesses that are Minority-, Woman-, Disability-, Veteran- or LGBTQ+ -owned throughout New York City.

Please email membership@bronxchamber.org if your business is MWDBE/Veteran/LGBTQ+ -owned, and we will include your listing in the directory.

We appreciate your participation and look forward to this opportunity to help create an inclusive list of businesses, both within and outside of the Chamber’s member network, that will provide opportunities for connection and patronage.

The Shop Your City Challenge is a City campaign encouraging New Yorkers to support their small businesses while helping NYC’s economy recover.

The campaign will include a significant investment in community and ethnic media, to raise awareness among shoppers of the need to Support Local Businesses. Posters, “I Shopped Local” stickers and “Shop Your City” Tote Bags will be supplied at no cost for businesses to provide to their customers when shopping small. The Chamber, along with our BID and Merchant Association partners, will be distributing these to small businesses in our Bronx commercial corridors.

The Mayor kicked-off an ambitious program called the City Cleanup Corps (CCC). Following the devastating impacts of this ongoing pandemic, the CCC was launched to both help cleanup and rejuvenate our great neighborhoods and communities, while providing meaningful, good paying jobs that provide a career path to lasting economic recovery.

As a community leader, you can assist the CCC in two important ways:

Are you unable to pay the rent?

Need help to get your business online?

Confused about PPP loan forgiveness?

We are here to help!

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce is proud to be a part of the NYC Small Business Resource Network — a city-wide initiative to bring technical assistance and business recovery support to NYC small businesses.

At no cost to you, the NYC Small Business Resource Network can assist in technology, real estate, legal and accounting services, procurement opportunities, marketing, loans and grants, and more. Our on-the-ground Small Business Support Specialists will help guide you to the resources you need.

*If you need translation services, please contact anna@bronxchamber.org

The City is committed to awarding $16 billion in City contracts to M/WBEs over the next decade. Getting certified as a (M/WBE) Minority & Women-Owned Business Enterprise will help you access exclusive programs to help your small business grow and compete for these opportunities.

1. Increased opportunities for the City’s MWBEs: New York City agencies buy more goods and services from certified businesses

2. Gain access to capacity building programs: Education, Financing

3. Free advertising in the NYC Online Directory of Certified Businesses. Market your firm to all potential clients that care about diversity

4. Mentorship Programs and Workshops to help M/WBEs build and strengthen operations to compete and perform better on contract opportunities.

5. NYC Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) provides one-on-one consultation services while you are in the process of drafting a bid proposal and provides post-selection feedback.

6. Networking Events for certified businesses, including the annual Citywide Procurement Fair, an SBS signature event for M/WBEs only.

Need Help Recertifying your M/WBE Status? Contact Us.

NYC resources are available for small business owners in the Bronx through our Chamber On-the-Go business support program. We connect you with resources to help your business thrive from the NYC Department of Small Business Services and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce.

A Sure Bet for New York’s Future is an alliance of businesses, community organizations, labor groups, and other local groups who are in support of providing Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts in Yonkers (which employs 30% Bronx Residents as part of its staff) with a full gaming license and ensuring Empire City can participate in mobile sports betting, should the state legalize it. Click here to learn more and to join the alliance.