BY SAM SPOKONY | At a closed meeting on Friday morning, leaders of the Chinatown Partnership and the Chinatown Business Improvement District discussed plans for a fundraiser to be held in mid-December, with the goal of raising tens of thousands of dollars in grants for small businesses in Chinatown that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
The two organizations hope to raise the money at the holiday-themed event — money that would then be distributed to the thousands of small business owners with the BID’s district that are still suffering in the aftermath of the storm.
An exact date for the fundraiser has not yet been confirmed, but details will likely be finalized and released within the next few days. The Partnership and the BID said they plan to hold the event at Grand Harmony Palace on Mott Street, and they are still in talks with potential sponsors.
The criteria for eligibility for the grants has also not yet been finalized, but organizers seemed to agree on an initial outline that would make the grant money available to businesses that have been open for at least two years, have less than 10 employees and reported no more than $500,000 in sales in the past year.
A representative of Comptroller John Liu, a likely mayoral candidate next year, was also present at Friday’s meeting, and said that Liu may become a sponsor for the fundraiser.
