Where Can I Donate?
Direct link to contribute is here
Is the donation tax deductible?
Yes, The Downtown Denville Business Improvement District (BID) is a not-for-profit organization, 501.3c
What is the Downtown Denville Business Improvement District?
A non-profit created specifically to attract commerce to Downtown Denville, encourage and recruit ideal businesses for Denville and fundraise to support those initiatives. It consists of 6 business owner members, 1 resident board member and a full-time paid Executive Director.
What does the money go towards?
A series of financial grants for a variety of different types of businesses in Downtown Denville’s business district as well accommodations and support for the whole district. As businesses are allowed to open there will be massive competition from other towns and online sellers. These local shops have already been greatly affected by giant companies like Amazon and Walmart and now need support more than ever.
Are there administrative costs?
No. While we have 1 full-time position and 1 part-time position, those costs are not paid for by this fund. There are also no banking costs for direct donations. Online donations are through Give Lively an online payment system specifically for non-profits with very small fees for online donations.
What about the money put aside for things besides grants?
While the majority of the fund will go directly to our businesses applying for financial relief, small portions of the fund will be used for general district improvement. Maintaining our beautiful district is crucial to survive. Unfortunately, the exact details are being determined but we wanted to make sure we were being transparent with the allocation of the funds. We’ll need support for community events, district improvements and promoting business. Downtown Denville is the premier spot for many causes and local groups seeking a place to hold an event. Those events require maintenance, cleaning and other organization that cost the district and the businesses. In light of COVID-19 we will also immediately need to provide more outdoor accommodations (dining, seating, landscape,) in addition to promoting shopping.
How will the business grants be awarded?
A separate grant sub-committee will oversee the grant applications and award process. The board will be appointed by the district’s Executive Director,The Chairman of the Downtown Denville BID board (who is not a business owner) and, The Downtown Denville BID treasurer. None of those individuals have any conflicting interest with an applicable business. The committee will determine specific criteria, application process and award via an objective process.
How do I apply?
We are currently creating the application process and final details for application and award.
As soon as we have raised enough funds to provide any adequate support, we will begin the application process for businesses within the downtown business improvement district.
How is this different from the Denville Strong GoFundMe?
The district is very supportive of the Denville Strong GoFundMe. We have provided logistical support to help coordinate. Denville Strong’s primary goal is to provide support to front-line healthcare workers by purchasing meals and supplies from Denville businesses. The fund has surpassed it’s fundraising goals many times, truly a testament to our outstanding community. It has helped many. While Denville Strong has indicated intent to support our fund in some way, in fairness to them we can’t expect that fund to provide the massive needs of our businesses. The Downtown Denville Relief Fund is specifically geared towards all businesses in the downtown. There were many “non-essential” businesses that are unable to operate during the global pandemic, we are hoping to support them. We are also a tax-deductible donation with very minimal administrative costs. Many of Downtown Denville’s businesses donated to Denville Strong in addition to the countless other local community projects over the years. We want to give back when they need us most !
