Chase and LivingSocial Launch 'Mission: Small Business' Grant Program

May 8, 2012

Bloomberg

Demonstrating their ongoing commitment to small businesses, Chase and LivingSocial today launched “Mission: Small Business^SM,” a new grant program offering up to $3 million to small business owners nationwide. Chase and LivingSocial also obtained the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help announce the program and drive small business engagement and participation.

The program, which will award up to 12 individual grants of $250,000, was developed to provide small businesses with capital and innovative marketing resources needed to make a positive impact on their business.

Beginning today through June 30, Chase and LivingSocial invite small business owners who have been in business for at least two years and have less than 100 employees to visit missionsmallbusiness.com to enter the program. Each business will be required to answer questions about why their business is unique, outline a proposed plan for utilizing the grant to grow their business and describe how the business is involved with its community. Full program rules can be found at www.missionsmallbusiness.com/pages/program-rules.

“Small businesses are invaluable to the growth of our economy, and the ‘Mission: Small Business’ grant program is designed to provide small businesses with the solutions they need to grow and thrive,” said Richard Quigley, president, Business Card, Chase. “The program aims to find innovative small business owners and provide them with the capital to help execute a business plan for growth.”

Consumers can get involved by clicking the “Support” button at missionsmallbusiness.com and voting for their favorite registered small businesses. For each pledge of support, Chase will add five dollars to the grant pool, up to $3 million, and businesses must receive at least 250 votes to be considered for a grant. The voting period is open from May 7, 2012
through June 30, 2012.

“Small businesses are the economic engine of this country, and LivingSocial’s goal is to help energize their connections with people seeking new and exciting experiences in their communities,” said Tim O’Shaughnessy, LivingSocial CEO and Co-founder. “We’re proud to be supporting the ‘Mission: Small Business’ program to help small business owners grow and become the next great American success stories.”

Grant recipients will be selected by a panel of small business experts who have agreed to participate including:

  * Steve Case, entrepreneur and co-founder of AOL; CEO, Revolution LLC
  * Candace Nelson, founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes
  * Jason Calacanis, CEO, Mahalo.com
  * David Chavern, executive vice president and chief operating officer, U.S.
    Chamber of Commerce
  * Richard Quigley, president, Business Card, Chase
  * Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO and co-founder of LivingSocial

“Small businesses embody the spirit of innovation and they are the lifeblood of our economy,” said David Chavern, U.S. Chamber executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We’re proud to work with Chase and LivingSocial to equip entrepreneurs across the country with valuable tools and resources they need to market and grow their businesses.”

The missionsmallbusiness.com website will provide small business entrants with a marketing toolkit to help promote their participation in the program.

Chase and LivingSocial expect to announce the grant recipients by September 15, 2012.

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