In 2021, Mercado on 5th was awarded a $50,000 grant from U.S. Bank Foundation to expand its educational programming through the Creciendo Juntos/Growing Together program. The six-year-old nonprofit in Moline’s Floreciente neighborhood was one of 20 recipients of the one-time 2021 U.S. Bank Foundation Market Impact Fund grant. Since Mercado began in 2016, the organization has served as a platform for more than 130 small businesses and nonprofits.
As businesses continue to navigate the challenges of running a business through a pandemic, Mercado on Fifth is opening its application period for its fifth round of minority equipment grants in hopes of providing some relief. Eligible minority-owned businesses and aspiring minority entrepreneurs in the Illinois Quad Cities may apply for up to $1,000 for equipment-related purchases, start-up costs, repairs to existing infrastructure, technology upgrades or personal protective equipment.
