Uber, Visa launch $1 million program to assist small businesses
In an effort to help small businesses stay afloat, Uber and Visa have announced the launch of a program that will award a total of $1 million in grants to a hundred small businesses that are active on Uber Eats.
Focused on restaurant recovery and entrepreneurship, the Grants for Growth program will award $10,000 to a hundred businesses on Uber Eats in ten U.S. cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami, Detroit, the New York City metro/New Jersey area, the San Francisco Bay Area, Philadelphia, and Boston. Restaurants that were active on Uber Eats since January 1, 2022, will be eligible to apply for the program.
Funds can be used toward immediate needs such as payroll, paying outstanding debt to vendors, upgrading payment technology infrastructure, and other immediate operational costs. Recipients will be chosen by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and preference will be given to veteran, minority, women, and LGBTQIA+ business owners.
“We know that this year has been trying for many and that independently owned businesses continue to face significant business challenges,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s vice president of U.S. and Canada delivery. “From natural disasters to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uber and Visa are committed to supporting [small to midsize businesses], especially through unexpected events, when they may need us most.”
(Photo credit: Getty Images / Lumi Nola)
