UND Contributes $10,000 to Support Small-Love Local

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota (June 1, 2021) – In May, the University of North Dakota contributed $10,000 to Support Small-Love Local, a campaign to aid small, local businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Grand Forks. The program was kickstarted by a $40,000 grant from the Knight Foundation Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and Region, which was matched by the City of Grand Forks. As of June, the campaign has run for three months, and seen great success. UND’s funding contributed towards the program’s marketing and digital advertising. 

The campaign achieves its mission through highlighting locally owned businesses; educating the Grand Forks community on the importance of shopping locally; and through selling gift cards, which consumers can use at participating merchants, to support Grand Forks businesses financially.

These gift cards are incentivized with free money that is awarded based on the amount purchased. These “bonus bucks” are made possible by the City of Grand Forks, who contributed $40,000 to the effort. For every $25 gift card purchased, get $10 for free; for every $50 purchased, get $20 for free; and for every $100 purchased, get $40 for free.

Since March 1st, forty-eight small, locally owned businesses are members of the digital gift card program, and 474 gift cards have been sold; the program has circulated $19,740 within the community, and $34,589.05 in bonus bucks are still available. Since March, $9,287 has gone directly back to local businesses, of which $3,583 was generated in the last month.

About Evolve Grand Forks & The 701: Established in 2017 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Evolve and The 701 Coworking space are set out to offer entrepreneur programs and affordable office space for start-ups and budding businesses in the region. The 701 Coworking space is home to many of the area’s business owners and offers a convenient location to work remotely or as a team. Evolve Grand Forks currently offers many programs to assist entrepreneurs to successfully launch their business and is an integral piece of the Grand Forks Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.

Our Mission: Supporting a Culture of Entrepreneurship in the Greater Grand Forks Community. 

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