The Bronx Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Optimum Business, is putting $145,000 directly into Bronx small businesses through a new grant program announced Tuesday, Aug. 4. Bronx Chamber of Commerce officials said 25 grants of $5,000 each are available, plus one $20,000 grand prize, funding 26 businesses in total.

Chamber officials said the eligibility bar is built for local Bronx neighborhood businesses, adding that to qualify, a business needs to have a brick-and-mortar location in a community Optimum serves, a team of ten or fewer employees, be at least one year in operation, and as part of the application, the owner must describe how the grant would help the business grow and strengthen the community it serves.

Lisa Sorin, president and CEO of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, said of the initiative, “Access to capital is one of the biggest barriers Bronx entrepreneurs face, and this program meets that head on by putting real money into the hands of the small businesses that anchor our commercial corridors, hire locally, and keep the borough’s economy moving, while also connecting them to the Chamber’s network and resources for the long haul.”

Officials said, additionally, every grant applicant receives a complimentary, 6-month Bronx Chamber membership, and grant recipients who are new to the Chamber receive a full year’s complimentary membership.

Full details can be found at optimum.com/business/bronx.