Two Mt. Airy organizations win $60,000 grant

Mayor Nutter announced new grants to help small businesses and commercial corridor development.

Mt. Airy USA and the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District won a $60,000 grant for corridor clean up programs.

“Awarding CDBG funding creates jobs and builds the economy,” said Mayor Nutter. “By aligning public resources to small business needs, we are creating circumstances for long-term growth,” said Nutter.

Anuj Gupta the executive director for Mt. Airy USA, a local community development corporation, says the funds will allow both organizations to continue make improvements along Germantown Avenue. “We will continue with façade improvement work and with our efforts to develop a master plan for Lovett library’s garden, Gupta said.

Today’s news comes just days after Mt. Airy USA’s very successful fundraising dinner Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?. “We raised about $100,000 gross,” he said, adding that that is much higher than last year’s event. “We had more people turnout,” Gupta noted, and that there were more sponsors this year.

One of the Mt. Airy USA’s other big successes this year was hosting the Mt. Airy Night Market last month. The Food Trust produced the event at a cost of around $25,000 – $30,000, according to Gupta. He says, local residents have told him that they would like to see the Night Market return. If he can find a way to raise the funds, he said, the Night Market will be back.