Sunnyside Shines
www.qns.com I LIC COURIER I DECEMBER 2019 31
Committee will make recommendations for
the final awardees.
For the first round of the program, which
is in its initial grant cycle, businesses
throughout Sunnyside — not just those
within Sunnyside’s BID corridor — are
eligible to apply.
“Businesses throughout Sunnyside have
been an integral part of our past marketing
programming, including Taste of Sunnyside,
Restaurant Week and more. And throughout
this fall, businesses throughout the larger
neighborhood have been instrumental in
helping us complete a thorough Commercial
District Needs Assessment study so that we
can better serve Sunnyside in the future,”
Bean said. “Opening this first round of awards
to all neighborhood businesses is our way of
showing appreciation for that partnership.”
An additional feature of the program is
that one of their awards will be made to
a neighborhood entrepreneur who doesn’t
currently own a storefront but is “contributing
significantly to the commercial life of the
neighborhood.”
“The last two years we’ve started to part-ner
extensively with neighborhood artisans
and entrepreneurs, especially through our
pop-up markets programming,” Bean added.
“We recognize that they, too, have strategic
needs and that this MicroGrant program can
help them grow, thrive and contribute to a
vibrant Sunnyside.”
The Business Assistance MicroGrants
program is funded by a discretionary grant
designated by Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer.
“I am proud to allocate $10,000 to support
the Business Assistance MicroGrants pro-gram,”
Van Bramer said. “Small businesses are
woven into the fiber of our Queens community,
and it is important we do our part to enhance
opportunities for our residents. I am enthusias-tic
about seeing new entrepreneurs succeed
through the efforts of Sunnyside Shines.”
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