Detroit Evening Report: 23 new small businesses opening in Detroit thanks to Motor City Match grants
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Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan poses with past Motor City Match grant awardee Ysahai Honor-Marie, owner of Ice Cream Detroit.
Motor City Match will award more than $1 million in grant funds on Tuesday to 23 new small business owners across 19 Detroit neighborhoods.
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The grant funds are available to any for-profit businesses seeking to open in the city of Detroit in a currently vacant commercial space.
Among the new ventures receiving funds in Round 25 of the program include a Filipino restaurant, a multimedia production studio and a mini market selling household goods, among others. Of the 23 businesses selected for funding, 81% are minority-owned, 71% are women-owned and 68% are businesses owned by Detroit residents, according to Motor City Match.
Since the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation created the program in 2015, the Motor City Match team has served more than 1,800 businesses with $14.3 million in grant funds spread across 24 rounds, with one round per quarter, according to their website.
“The beauty of the Motor City Match program is that it continues providing valuable tools and resources for awardees throughout their entire journey from idea to open,” said Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, in 2022. “This program helps to ensure that once open, those doors stay open and these businesses remain essential.”
All Round 25 awardees will be announced at a press conference set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters, 1301 3rd Ave., Detroit.
For more information about the program, visit motorcitymatch.com.
Other headlines for Monday, Jan. 22, 2024:
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, community partners and leaders gathered Monday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the $14 million Chandler Park Fieldhouse.
- A Michigan ballot initiative that would limit the state’s power over solar and wind energy projects is moving forward.
- A new initiative from the Women’s Sustainable Development Initiative and Cinnaire aims to foster diversity and inclusivity in the field of real estate development through free training and mentoring programs.
- The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Wayne County Friend of the Court is piloting a new child care support program.
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