Small Business Recovery Fund

As a response to the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement has rightfully began protesting across the country. George’s death is not the first to spark this movement. We must not forget Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland and countless other innocent black men and women who lost their lives to police brutality and racism in America. #BLACKLIVESMATTER #ICANTBREATHE

However, protests have led to vandalism and looting. Small businesses in NYC have been damaged, and we wish to provide as much aid as possible. Many of these small businesses were built by immigrants who have sacrificed everything to be able to provide for their families. Due to COVID-19 many of them were already struggling to make ends meet to pay bills and put food on the table for their families. 

We support the Black Lives Matter movement and its efforts to end systematic racism in America. We are committed to contacting POC-owned small business owners in NYC to help rebuild their establishments, and we will verify legitimacy before providing funds. 

Any amount donated helps and if you know of anyone whose businesses have been impacted by the protests, please don’t hesitate to contact us: [email redacted]

FAQ:

1. Which businesses will you be donating to?
- We will personally search through POC-populated areas where riots have heavily taken place such as Harlem, the Bronx, Queens, etc. and identify stores that have been destroyed. We will post an update on the stores that we select.

2. How will you be distributing the funds?
- Based on the amount of donations received, we will evenly distribute the money to 1-5 businesses. If our donations exceed our goal, we will happily donate to additional businesses. 

3. What will you do if you can’t find local businesses to donate to?
- If that happens, we will donate the funds to existing GoFundMe campaigns that are focused on rebuilding NYC POC-owned small businesses.

4. How will you verify that the money was actually sent to the stores? 
- We will publish the final stores we choose after we reach our donation goal. We will post an update on this page, and you will be notified by the email you provided when you donated. We can also provide email screenshots and bank statements upon request, just contact our email.

5. Why can't I just donate to a small business directly?
- You can, but our purpose is to help those who don't have access to resources like GoFundMe and other fundraising campaigns. For example, delis and bodegas. 

6. Who are we?
- We are two college students from New York. We both grew up in Asian immigrant households and want to use our privilege to give back to the community. We believe actions speak louder than words which is why we decided to create this GoFundMe.