Awards recognize impactful projects of local business districts whose
efforts are building awareness and celebrating the culture of their
community to increase economic vitality
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2018--
The South Shore Chamber of Commerce––an organization focused on moving
the South Shore community forward with effective programs that help
strengthen local businesses, nonprofits and community-based
initiatives––won a grant in a competition sponsored by Groupon
(NASDAQ: GRPN) and organized by the Local
Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago. The 2018
Neighborhood Change Seed Grant Awards were given out to winning
applicants that participated in LISC Chicago’s Business
District Leadership Network (BDLN) Program for innovative ideas that
support community-based economic development in Chicago’s 77
neighborhoods.
As the grand-prize winner, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce will
receive a $5,000 grant to help expand the South Shore Artisan
Collective––a holiday seasonal pop-up retail space to showcase and
support products and services from neighborhood businesses––to a
year-round initiative with a more robust program for local artists and
artisans.
“We’re thrilled to honor the South Shore Chamber as the grand-prize
winner of this year’s neighborhood change grant competition. They’ve
found a successful formula that works for their community, and we’re
excited to help them expand it into something they can offer year
round,” said Matt Kruse, head of social responsibility, Groupon. "We
think all of the winning projects will go a long way to creating a
vibrant atmosphere so businesses in these communities can thrive."
The winners of the 2018 Neighborhood Change Seed Grant Awards include:
Grand-Prize Winner ($5,000 grant)
- South
Shore Chamber for the South Shore Artisan Collective – The
collective will address several challenges in the South Shore
community and surrounding areas. By curating a vacant retail space,
they are reducing the blight along 71st Street. This will
help drive traffic and buzz to the space, assist property owners with
identifying viable businesses that add to the culture of the community
and assist entrepreneurs with an opportunity to succeed with the
assistance of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce.
Runner-up Winners ($2,500 grants)
- Edgewater
Chamber of Commerce for The We All Live Here Photo Project – The
photo project will help the Edgewater Chamber communicate the
importance of art in the community. They anticipate over 10,000 people
will be reached by the project at the "Edgefest Festival". Once the
art project is installed in the commercial corridor the art project
will help Edgewater affirm its identity by drawing attention to the
wide-variety of people who live in Edgewater.
- DevCorp
North dba Rogers Park Business Alliance for the "Vision Clark
Street Plan" – The plan includes public art as the significant carrier
of branding, marketing and beautification elements of the Clark Street
commercial corridor. The planning process engaged the community at
large and resulted in creating a plan that defines key goals of
strengthening economic vitality in the corridor, which will be
achieved through increased activity and enhanced physical conditions
to attract and retain businesses and improve safety.
“We’re honored to have been chosen as the grand-prize winner and would
like to thank Groupon and LISC for recognizing the positive changes that
we’re bringing to our community,” said Tonya Trice, Executive Director
of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. “The money from this grant will
provide the necessary resources that will help us achieve our vision of
transforming South Shore into a destination neighborhood, rich in
culture with diverse businesses that will attract visitors from around
the world as well as serve the needs of residents.”
LISC Chicago's BDLN Program brings non-profit, private and public sector
leaders together to support training, education and capacity building to
the growing field of commercial district practitioners in Chicago’s
neighborhoods. Over the past three years, LISC Chicago trained
approximately 50 community-based organizations on best practices in
commercial corridor redevelopment and leadership development from across
the City of Chicago through the BDLN Program.
“Congratulations to the 2018 winners – their ideas represent the unique
characteristics of their neighborhoods and will ultimately help drive
local economic development,” said Meghan Harte, executive director, LISC
Chicago. “We are proud to partner with Groupon on the Business District
Leadership Network Program and look forward to continuing our work with
these business districts and others throughout the city to ensure our
local businesses and commercial corridors are strong and vibrant across
Chicago.”
About LISC Chicago
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago is the local office
of the nation’s leading community development support organization,
working in Chicago neighborhoods since 1980. With residents and
partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity
across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and
raise families. For more information visit, www.lisc.org/chicago.
LISC Chicago’s Business District Leadership Program is support by:
Groupon; The Polk Bros. Foundation; PNC Bank; The City of Chicago,
Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP); Associated Bank; and,
Coro New York Neighborhood Leadership Center.
About Groupon
Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is building the daily habit in local commerce,
offering a vast mobile and online marketplace where people discover and
save on amazing things to do, see, eat and buy. By enabling real-time
commerce across local businesses, travel destinations, consumer products
and live events, shoppers can find the best a city has to offer.
Groupon is redefining how small businesses attract and retain customers
by providing them with customizable and scalable marketing tools and
services to profitably grow their businesses.
To download Groupon’s top-rated mobile apps, visit www.groupon.com/mobile.
To search for great deals or subscribe to Groupon’s emails, visit www.groupon.com.
To learn more about the company’s merchant solutions and how to work
with Groupon, visit www.groupon.com/merchant.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180829005546/en/
Source: Groupon
Groupon
Nick Halliwell
nhalliwell@groupon.com
312.999.3812
or
LISC
Ashleigh
Wayland
AWayland@lisc.org
312.422.9568