Businesses start the Be a Neighbor Fund to help Utica small businesses

UTICA, N.Y. — Four Utica–area businesses have launched the Be A Neighbor Fund, which seeks to raise money to help small, local companies in Utica that have struggled during the pandemic.

The four organizations include Universal Bookkeeper, Made In Utica, McGrogan Design, and thINCubator, per a news release about the fund.

The fund has an initial goal of raising $45,000 to help out five small businesses.

“The idea isn’t to have a one-shot donation to a business,” Justin Miller, owner of Universal Bookkeeper, said. “I kept thinking, how can we help businesses in a way that would make an impact. So, the idea is they will receive up to $3,000 for three months. This allows a business to really have some breathing room and have some reliable income for whatever they need to stay open and thrive again.”

Donations will be processed through Handshake.City, a nonprofit organization under management of Made In Utica.

For businesses, the application process is “short and simple,” and any business in the greater Utica area can apply. Community members can also nominate a business.

“We created a really easy process on our website for the applications and nominations,” Justin Parkinson of Made In Utica, said. “We’d love to hear from business owners, but we also want to hear from the community. We want you to think about what businesses you love, what businesses would you truly miss if they were gone?”

The team behind the Be A Neighbor Fund is hoping to continue the fund even after the initial goal is reached.

“The purpose of our business has always been to help as many small businesses as possible, so it was a no brainer to come together and collaborate with these talented partners and make that happen,” Ryan McGrogan, owner of McGrogan Design, said.

“The more money raised, the more businesses will be helped. No donation is too small, or too big. We’d encourage anyone from individuals in the community to other businesses to be a ‘good neighbor’ and donate toward the fund” said Meghan Fraser McGrogan of McGrogan Design.

More information about the fund including applications, nominations, and donation forms for the Be A Neighbor Fund are available now at www.handshake.city, per the release.