Mamdani Invests $8.4M in Business Improvement Districts Citywide

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is upping the grant funding available to local organizations that promote commerce — though it doesn’t look like much.

Mamdani and the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) is making $8.4 million available to business improvement districts for public art displays, street cleaning, lighting and directories.

While $8.4 million might not be the most impressive figure, the administration says it could boost foot traffic for 20,000 businesses in the five boroughs, and is the largest single cash infusion of its kind.

“Our administration knows it’s not enough to make it easier to open a small business, you have to make it easier to visit one, too,” Mamdani said in a statement. “That’s why our commitment to small businesses means not only cutting red tape and reducing fines, but investing in the neighborhoods surrounding bodegas, bookshops and restaurants so that New York City is lined with ‘OPEN’ signs year-round.”

The grant money has already been awarded, with Brooklyn taking the majority of available funding, or $2.7 million for 32 organizations, while 17 entities in the Bronx received $1.55 million, according to the administration.

Manhattan and Queens received similar amounts, while the Bronx saw less funding and Staten Island got the least: $550,000 to only seven organizations.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.