Groupon and LISC Chicago Announce 2016 Neighborhood Change Project Winners

Awards recognize the most impactful ideas from local business districts on ways to spur economic development in Chicago neighborhoods

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Groupon (http://www.groupon.com) (NASDAQ: GRPN) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago announced the 2016 Neighborhood Change Project winners––given to participants of LISC Chicago’s Business District Leadership (BDL) Program for ideas that support community-based economic development in Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. Groupon sponsored the program for the first time this year and provided $15,000 in micro-grants to help fund the winning projects.

“As a Chicago-based company, we’re thrilled to support some of the most innovative ways that nonprofits and local business districts are creating stronger and healthier neighborhoods,” said Matt Kruse, head of social responsibility, Groupon. “Local businesses––along with the energy and connections they provide––form the backbone of our communities, and when they succeed everyone benefits.”

LISC Chicago’s BDL Program brings together nonprofit and public sector leaders to support training, education and capacity building for organizations offering services to business districts throughout the city of Chicago. BDL’s six-month training addresses the professional development and networking needs of the growing field of commercial district practitioners to deepen their expertise in revitalizing commercial corridors.

“What made the winners stand out was how the ideas effectively leveraged the unique characteristics of these neighborhoods to create a sense of community and drive local economic development,” said Meghan Harte, executive director, LISC Chicago. “We look forward to continuing our work with these business districts, and others throughout the city, to help them learn from each other’s successes and challenges.”

The winners of the 2016 Neighborhood Change Projects included:

Grand Prize Winner ($5,000 grant)

• West Humboldt Park Development Council for “Forty Acres Market Days” –– Market day in Humboldt Park that celebrated African-American culture through food, while educating community residents on affordable and healthy food choices from local vendors.

Runner-up Winners ($2,500 grants)

• Uptown United for “Taste of Uptown” –– Collection of featured menu items from two dozen local restaurants in the Uptown neighborhood designed to increase foot traffic and promote the diversity of restaurants along the Broadway corridor.
• Morgan Park Beverly Hills Business Association for “Go19!” –– Plan to raise awareness of local Morgan Park and Beverly merchants by increasing bike and foot traffic along the local business corridor. The Morgan Park Beverly Hills Business Association also won a separate award from Groupon for a “You Are Beautiful” installation.
• Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago for “The Hatchery Employment Readiness Initiative” –– Training for unemployed and underemployed residents of East Garfield Park in basic food handling and management practices to serve as a workforce pipeline for the new Hatchery Food Incubator.
• 51st Street Business Association for “Bronzeville Jazz Festival” –– Neighborhood jazz festival to help build relationships between Bronzeville residents and business owners along the 51st Street business corridor.

To learn more about this year’s Neighborhood Change Project winners, LISC Chicago’s BDL program and Groupon’s commitment to local communities, please click here to watch a short video.

About Groupon

Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is building the daily habit in local commerce, offering a vast mobile and online marketplace where people discover and save on amazing things to do, see, eat and buy. By enabling real-time commerce across local businesses, travel destinations, consumer products and live events, shoppers can find the best a city has to offer.

Groupon is redefining how small businesses attract and retain customers by providing them with customizable and scalable marketing tools and services to profitably grow their businesses.

To download Groupon's top-rated mobile apps, visit www.groupon.com/mobile. To search for great deals or subscribe to Groupon emails, visit www.groupon.com. To learn more about the company’s merchant solutions and how to work with Groupon, visit www.groupon.com/merchant.

About LISC Chicago

LISC Chicago connects neighborhoods to the resources they need to become stronger and healthier. Part of the national nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation, LISC Chicago provides grants, loans, technical assistance and other resources to more than 70 partner organizations in low- and moderate-income communities across Chicago. When neighborhoods are connected to the right resources and work together to advance robust, coordinated community development plans, they are better positioned to participate in the region’s economic growth. For more information visit, lisc-chicago.org.

LISC Chicago’s Business District Leadership Program is supported by: The Polk Bros. Foundation; PNC Bank; The City of Chicago, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP); Associated Bank; and Coro New York Neighborhood Leadership Center.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161208005807/en/

Groupon
Nick Halliwell
[email protected]
312.999.3812
or
LISC
Ashleigh Wayland
[email protected]
312.422.9568

Source: Groupon

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