Announcing the Keep it Local Grant Recipients
"Change calls for innovation, and innovation leads to progress." -Li Keqiang
Fifty-five local businesses are innovating and partnering with other local entities to propel themselves into a world beyond COVID-19. With gracious financial contributions from the City of Rochester and Destination Medical Center, the Keep it Local, COVID-19 Innovators Grant program distributed $100,000 among these businesses to collaborate on new technology or business models in response to COVID-19.
As one of the grant recipients, the Rochester Art Center is partnering in part with 3D Virtual REALty to create a virtual tour of its gallery.
"Access is an issue we continually consider, but now more than ever, we are thinking about how visitors can engage with this project safely in different ways," said Kali Morrison of the Rochester Art Center. "With these grant funds, we are excited to try something new and capture the exhibition [through] a 3D virtual gallery with the intention of sharing to a wider audience in a time when some may not be able to safely or comfortably leave their home."
While many of the Keep it Local grant-funded projects help businesses adapt in the short term, their initiatives are sure to have lasting impacts. One such example is from Rochester's minor league soccer club, Med City FC, which applied to produce soccer technique training videos with Fagan Studios.
“Through this grant, we'll be able to create valuable, professionally edited video content that will live long beyond this summer and reach far beyond the borders of Rochester and southeastern Minnesota," said Med City FC general manager and co-owner Frank Spaeth.
Although COVID-19 has impacted businesses, non-profits, and organizations alike, perhaps it provided the push to enhance these entities’ operations, both now and in the future, and call upon the collaborative community spirit to see each other through.
Find a full list of Keep it Local grant recipients and their service providers below.
Keep it Local, COVID-19 Innovators Grant Recipients within downtown Rochester:
Grant Recipients outside of downtown Rochester: