What is the NYC Love Your Local map of businesses?

The NYC Love Your Local map of businesses is a place where you can show your love for a business in your community. Anyone can nominate a business to appear on the map, including the business owner or representative. To nominate a business to appear on the map, visit the Add a Business page.

What is NYC Love Your Local?

The NYC Love Your Local program was established to expand the City’s economic development toolkit. This pilot program allowed the City to develop and test programs designed to help local, small businesses remain in business in the City’s diverse neighborhoods despite challanges.

The aim of the NYC Love Your Local program is to help the City understand what strategies are effective as we work to prevent neighborhood businesses from closing due to rising rents and other rising real estate costs. This understanding will give the City the tools to provide meaningful advice and assistance to business owners who are committed to retaining local jobs and continuing to provide locally valued goods and services.

What are NYC Love Your Local Grants?

NYC Love Your Local will award two rounds of grants – a total of 40 businesses will receive grants of up to $90K each.

Can I apply for a Love Your Local Grant?

No. Applications are now closed.

What kinds of businesses were eligible for the Love Your Local grant program?

Grantees must, at least, meet the following criteria:

  • Must operate a commercial business
  • Must not be in violation of any applicable federal, state, or local law, rule or regulation
  • Food businesses subject to inspection by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene must have an A or B letter grade
  • Must be a small business [see question below to learn how a “small business” is defined]
  • Must have been operating in the City for a minimum of three years prior to the date of the application
  • Must not operate a Franchise, except Franchises that the Small Business Administration has determined to be small businesses may be eligible [Check the SBA Franchise Directory for more information]
  • Must rent current location of operation from an entity or individual that is not affiliated with the applicant [affiliation is defined in the City’s Vendor’s Guide to VENDEX]
  • Must not owe any federal, state or city taxes and must not be delinquent in payments owed to resolve judgement or liens
  • All required licenses or permits relating to the business must be current
  • Must document that it has experienced at least a 5% increase in costs directly related to operating in rented commercial space within the prior 10 years. Documentation may include, but need not be limited to: lease(s), utility bills, property tax bills, or cancelled checks, which reflect increased rental costs, an increased burden relating to payment of property taxes, or increased utility costs at its current location

I have a business that is only online. Is this business eligible for a NYC Love Your Local grant? What about a business I run from my home? What about a pop-up shop?

No. Online businesses, at-home businesses, and pop-up businesses are not eligible for the program, because these businesses would not have a commercial lease. Having a commercial lease is one of the eligibility requirements for this program.

Are nonprofit organizations eligible for the NYC Love Your Local grant program?

No, only for-profit commercial businesses are eligible for the program.

How do you choose who receives a grant?

We vet and score all of the eligible applications based on criteria laid out in the Love Your Local Rule. We judge each business based on information about the business itself and the neighborhood where it is located. All information used to vet and score a business comes from that business’s application.

What kinds of projects are approved for NYC Love Your Local grant funding?

Each grantee receives a business assessment from an industry expert. Each grantee works directly with his or her industry expert to create a list of projects that will have the greatest impact on their business. These projects must fall into the following categories:

  • Operational improvements to the business
  • Performing outreach and interviewing prospective employees for the business
  • Training current employees
  • Technological updates to the business
  • Physical enhancements of the business location
  • Financial management changes to the business

The business owner will then pick projects from this list and use grant funding to complete them.