EVOLVE GRAND FORKS LAUNCHES SUPPORT SMALL-LOVE LOCAL TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota (March 23rd, 2021) – A grant from the Knight Foundation Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and Region provided funding to create a solution for local and small businesses affected by the pandemic. The campaign launched at the beginning of the month with great success.

The campaign has two parts. The first part is to educate the community via social media on how shopping local effects the community, and the second part of the campaign is a gift card that can be used at participating local businesses to encourage consumers to support Grand Forks’ locally owned businesses.

These gift cards are incentivized with bonus bucks that are awarded based on the amount purchased. The bonus bucks are made possible by the city of Grand Forks, who committed $40,000 to this effort. For every $25 gift card bought, a $10 gift is awarded, for every $50 gift card bought, a $20 gift is awarded, and for every $100 gift card bought, a $40 gift is awarded. Over 100 gift cards have already been purchased, and 37 small business around the city are already participating. $1,762 bonus bucks have been given out already, and there are still $40,238 up for grabs.

About Evolve Grand Forks & The 701 Coworking space: 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 areas 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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