News & Politics

Morning Consult Launches a Fund to Help DC-Area Small Businesses Rebuild

The Small Business Resilience Fund hopes to raise $1 million.

Broken glass downtown on Monday. Photograph by Paul Chernoff.

The data-intelligence firm Morning Consult hopes to help raise $1 million for a fund that will help local small businesses in underserved neighborhoods repair and rebuild after the pandemic and protests in downtown DC. The “Small Business Resilience Fund” is aimed at promoting equity and economic opportunity in the area and will be administered via a partnership with the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif), a community development financial institution that helps connect business owners with capital that might otherwise prove elusive.

Morning Consult’s own office near the intersection of 15th and H streets, Northwest, took some damage Sunday night–the glass of the building’s entryway as well as its office entry was shattered, a spokesperson tells Washingtonian. Nothing was stolen, and no one was hurt. “We know this pales in comparison to the damage many businesses in the area are facing, which is why we want to do what we can to help,” the spokesperson says.

“From the pandemic to unrest in our cities, we must fight for equitable solutions that unlock economic opportunities that combat the systemic issues that plague our society,” Wacif CEO Harold Pettigrew writes in a statement. “Recent events remind us now, more than ever, that small businesses are the cornerstone of our communities, and we stand united with our partners at Morning Consult in our shared commitment to ensure the flow of capital for inclusive economic recovery.”

In an email about the fund, Morning Consult CEO Michael Ramlet says the company will seed the fund with $30,000, the same amount it launched with. “Morning Consult was founded in a row house in Washington,” he writes. “It’s a community that has lifted us up, helped us grow, and supported us along the way. It’s our turn to give back.”

Anyone interested in donating can do so here.

Correction: This post originally included an incorrect photographer credit. 

Senior editor

Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.