LISC’s Small Business Recovery Grants Support Diverse WNY Small Businesses with $94,500 in Grant Funds
University District, Fillmore Avenue, Grant Street, Clinton Bailey - Our Western New York community is home to many commercial districts that makes WNY feel like home. And what makes these places special are the unique small businesses that bring the area to life. From restaurants, home goods, retail shopping, and nightlife, these businesses serve our communities’ needs both in product and services and also through the critical economic life-lines they provide for business owners and employees in our community.
As we’ve seen over the past few months, small businesses and business districts have been hit hard through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is responding to help these businesses survive and thrive through this critical time. Through generous donations from Verizon Wireless, Sam’s Club, and Lowe’s Home Improvement, LISC has had the tremendous opportunity of providing small business grants between $5,000 and $20,000 to minority, women, and veteran owned businesses that may otherwise have trouble accessing capital.
Between rounds 1 and 3 alone, LISC nationally has awarded 777 grantees totaling $6,825,000 in small business support. 90% of funds have gone to Minority-owned businesses, 64% of funds have gone to women-owned businesses, and 11% of funds to Veteran-owned businesses. In rounds 1 through 3, thirteen small WNY businesses received a LISC small business grant, totaling $94,500 in small business financial support.
One of these businesses is The Jalen Law Collection. Jalen A. Law is a Buffalo-based artist who, by the age of five was illustrating children stories to “sell” to elementary school kids for Lunchables and extra free time privileges. Fast forward 24 years later - Jalen’s passion is still there and he’s been blessed to not only sell his personal artwork, but use it as a healing tool in the lives of others. He is currently working on a research-based art program, called the Emotional Intelligence Program, to equip students with social and emotional tools to assist them inside and outside of the classroom. Jalen comments on the small business relief grant, “It gave me the cash injection needed to keep my business open and further my goal of making my emotional intelligence program online accessible to children during this time.”
