Several options have popped up in recent weeks amid the coronavirus crisis to help fund small businesses facing shaky financial footing. One company looking to help small businesses in this country and around the world is the dating app Bumble.
The company asked small businesses to submit a request to receive up to $5,000 in monetary support. Ultimately, Bumble will support 200 businesses in 11 countries. While submissions in most countries (including the United States) are closed, Bumble recently announced the first group of recipients for its Community Grant Program.
Among the first recipients is a US-based bakery, Smales Pretzel Bakery in Dayton, Oh. The bakery has been family owned and operated for over 100 years. The bakery began with German-born Rudie Schaaf opening Gem City Pretzel in 1906, not long after he arrived in Dayton as a boy in 1895. The bakery’s current location dates to 1926 when Schaaf’s daughter, Emma, moved it there and renamed it. The bakery is currently owned and operated by Emma Smales, Schaaf’s great-great granddaughter.
The first round of Bumble’s grants is dedicated to businesses based in the United States and is focused on the food service and products industry. Additional recipients include Fort Greene, a cocktail bar in Denver, Colorado; Thamee, a restaurant in Washington, D.C.; Hyde Perk Coffee House, a coffee shop in Boise, Idaho; Gabrielle Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana.; Dripkit Coffee, a New York company; Finally Ours, a diner in Syracuse, NY; Bouldin Creek Café, a vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Austin, Texas; and Counter Culture, another vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Austin, Texas.
More than 20,000 businesses around the world have applied for the grants, according to Cybil Zhang, Bumble strategy and social impact manager.