#yesPHX Summer Social for Good

Arizona organizations teaming up to virtually raise funds for local micropreneurs throughout July

StartupAZ Foundation, Local First Arizona and #yesphx are teaming to host a virtual Valleywide #yesphx Summer Social for Good, which will kickoff on June 30. The purpose is to raise funds for Local First’s Small Business Relief Fund (SBRF), which provides mini grants to Arizona’s smallest, locally owned, independent enterprises.

The month-long Summer Social for Good replaces the annual #yesphx Summer Social. During the event, which runs through July 30, community members are encouraged to donate what they can to help fund as many qualifying micro-entrepreneurs as possible. The Arizona Lottery will also match donations made on June 30 up to $15,000 as part of The Storytellers Project digital event featuring Arizona small businesses.

“The annual Summer Social has traditionally been a way for our community to come together to celebrate our entrepreneurial ecosystem and the #yesphx Summer Social for Good will carry on that tradition in a virtual environment,” said Brandon Clarke, CEO of StartupAZ Foundation. “We’re hoping this will also rally our community around the spirit of generosity to support the local businesses that are so vital to our ecosystem.”

To date, the SBRF has raised more than $1 million, which has gone to support 457 local family owned businesses and more than 1,100 jobs throughout Arizona. But there is still a tremendous need among businesses who have applied across the state to receive assistance.

“We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to the Small Business Relief Fund, both in terms of the generosity of donors and the locally owned businesses we’ve been able to help get through this challenging time,” said Thomas Barr, executive director for Local First Arizona. “As many businesses as this fund has helped sustain, we still have applications coming in daily. Our goal is to double or triple the number of businesses we’ve helped and bring the community together through the spirit of generosity.”

All donations are tax deductible and only go to locally owned businesses that meet the grant criteria. To make a donation, visit https://www.localfirstaz.com/yesphx.

To stay up to date on this initiative and more follow the #yesPHX hashtag on Twitter, Instagram + LinkedIn

This post originally appeared on the StartupAZ Foundation blog here.