Make Your Lower Manhattan Biz Web-Savvy With A $10,000 Grant

It’s the digital age. We consult our screens for everything. Whether it’s swiping left to find a romantic interest or scrolling endlessly in search of the tastiest tacos, it’s become a universal truth that if you’re googleable, you exist. 

But this shift in how we shop and eat has had a big impact on brick-and-mortar businesses. Because New York City wouldn’t be New York City without those storefront shops and restaurants, the Alliance for Downtown New York is doing something about it. For the third year in a row, we’re offering $10,000 grants to two Lower Manhattan businesses that want to boost their web presence. 

Last year, the Downtown Alliance awarded Downtown Digital Innovation Grants to B & Co NYC, a modern spin on the New York deli, that’s been around since 1997, and Boundless Plains Espresso, which has been keeping Lower Manhattan caffeinated since 2017. Each $10,000 grant went toward improving the shops’ online operations. 

In 2018, Martin Busch Jewelers received the inaugural grant. The women-owned and -operated family business used their winnings to update their website and develop their social-media presence. Thanks to the grant, traffic increased by almost 50 percent. 

If you own a storefront business in the Lower Manhattan business improvement district, you should apply! The deadline is March 9. Learn more at downtownny.com/digitalgrant.