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McCann, R/GA, Golin, Rogers & Cowan PMK and Momentum worked with Verizon to create Pay it Forward Live, a weekly streaming entertainment series that will include music, gaming, comedy and more in support of small businesses affected by COVID-19. The weekly series debuted on March 26 with a performance by Dave Matthews.
The 30-minute performances, where artists will create intimate concerts from their homes, will give viewers a way to connect during this time of social distancing and a way to support their favorite small businesses now.
Understanding the toll of closing their doors to help fight the spread of COVID-19, Verizon will donate $2.5 million to Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national nonprofit that has invested $20 billion to fuel economic opportunity for people and communities across America. Over the course of the series, all viewers who tune in will be encouraged to tag their favorite local businesses and make a purchase in advance for when the crisis is over and the businesses reopen. As consumers engage, Verizon will unlock an additional $2.5 million in funds, bringing the total donation to a potential $5 million.
LISC will use the funds to provide grants of up to $10,000 to businesses facing immediate financial pressure because of COVID-19, especially entrepreneurs of color, women-owned businesses and other enterprises that don’t have access to flexible, affordable capital in historically underserved communities. LISC will launch an online process for small businesses to submit applications for grants. Applications will be reviewed and then entered into a lottery. The grants are designed to help business owners fill urgent financial gaps – from paying rent to meeting payroll – until they can resume normal operations or other financing becomes available.
Verizon is also giving its own customers an easy way to support small businesses by leveraging their customer loyalty program, Verizon Up, which will give members the ability to use their monthly reward for a Visa eGift card to use to support small businesses throughout the month of April.
Verizon’s support for small business also includes adding 15GB of high-speed data for wireless consumers and small business customers to be automatically applied with no customer action necessary; providing first responders with priority.
