Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation

UMEZ and LMCC announce an open call for the 2026 UMEZ Arts Engagement program, an initiative funded by UMEZ. This year, the program will make grants of up to $10,000 to Upper Manhattan artists and arts organizations implementing artistic presentations across any discipline that engages Upper Manhattan communities in 2026. The deadline to apply is September 16, 2025, 5PM ET. Application guidelines and forms are now live. Learn more here at lmcc.net. Potential applicants can attend Information Sessions to meet LMCC staff and find out more. First-time applicants are required to attend a live information session OR watch a recorded information session before applying. To see the schedule and register go to lmcc.net/RSVP Over the past eight years, UMEZ Arts Engagement has awarded over $2.6 million in grants, supported 486 artistic projects across 247 unique Upper Manhattan artists and arts organizations which have presented programs attended by more than one million audience members.

This week UMEZ kicked off the official launch of our Economic and Recovery Capacity Building (ERCB) Learning Community Network, as the next phase of the ERCB Initiative— which has supported our dynamic cohort of six grantee partners - STRIVE, New York Urban League, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC), YAYB-Youth Action Youth Build, Community League of the Heights (CLOTH), and Community Impact as they adapt to changing labor market demands, improve service delivery, and address issues of employee retention and pay equity.  We are proud to work alongside our partners at Public Works Partners and WPTI (Workforce Professional Training Institute) to facilitate the Learning Community. We are providing additional support to our grantee partners through a series of training modules to help strengthen their internal capacity and operations. This work is led by our Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Yahshaanyah Hill. Together, we are focused on building collective impact, knowledge building, and thought leadership in workforce development. Thank you to our grantee partners who are agents of change. #UMEZ, #STRIVE, #NMIC, #,CLOTH, #YAYB, #WPTI

The Board and Staff of UMEZ are deeply saddened by the passing of Charles B. Rangel after a distinguished career of service and dedication to his community. Thirty years ago, Congressman Rangel—recognizing the urgent need for investment in neighborhoods of upper Manhattan—wrote legislation creating Empowerment Zones that President Clinton signed into law. Over the years, Congressman Rangel was a fierce advocate for UMEZ and the upper Manhattan communities we serve, supporting our mission to leverage federal dollars and private capital to invest in businesses, large and small; while making grants to a range of cultural institutions and workforce entities that strengthen the fabric of our community. Congressman Rangel's legacy can be seen today from 110th Street to Inwood Park, stretching from the Hudson to the East Rivers. New York City and our country have lost a true leader but his impact and inspiration live on. Rest In Power.

UMEZ congratulates Mino and The People’s Theatre on realizing its dream of a permanent home. We’re thrilled to be providing a $9.4 million bridge loan for the buildout of this beautiful community facility that will allow them to expand programming and offer state of the art community spaces. Over the years, UMEZ has provided support through our UMEZ arts engagement program, COVID relief funding, technical assistance, and our microloan program. Felicidades, Mino. We’re excited to see The People's Theatre thrive. #umez, #thepeolesthetrenyc, #nytimes https://lnkd.in/e-7PMRpP

On behalf of the entire UMEZ board and staff, all of us at the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ) offer our deepest condolences to the family of Richard D. Parsons. The public and private tributes to Dick have come from all quarters over the last few days, and we wanted to share our memories of his meaningful and lasting contributions the city and communities we serve. Dick was our first Chairman of the Board, serving in this capacity from 1996-2001. He brought his political and financial acumen to our early years and through his humanity and sense of purpose, served as a stabilizing and guiding force during his tenure. Under his leadership, he brought together corporate, government, and community partners to establish a range of historic investments in the communities we serve. Notable among his many accomplishments was the inspiration to reimagine 125th Street in Harlem as a viable, large- scale retail hub beginning with approval in 1998 of Harlem USA and subsequent groundbreaking which provided access to a Magic Johnson Theater, as well negotiating for efficiently priced, quality goods and services from national retailers.    He also ensured there was broad-based institutional investment to support the critical role cultural institutions played in strengthening 125th Street and other communities in Upper Manhattan with the creation of a Cultural Industry Investment Fund in 1999. This fund was directly responsible for support community-based-cultural entities including the Apollo Theater, Studio Museum in Harlem and others. Dick remained a friend of UMEZ over nearly 30 years. He will be missed.

Our President and CEO Blair Duncan joined Hope Knight, President, CEO and Commissioner at Empire State Development, Shawn Abreau, NYC Council Member, NYS Senator Cordell Cleare, Sam Sia, Columbia Professor and Harlem BioSpace Co-Founder and Scott Metzner, founder of Janus Property, at the ribbon cutting for Harlem Biospace 2. ·    UMEZ is proud to be a part of Harlem Biospace and provide $1.5 million in build-out financing to activate the project. Harlem Biospace is a perfect example of what UMEZ does best – funding emerging businesses in critical industries that represent the fabric on the communities we serve.

Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Hires Norah McVeigh as Chief Administrative Officer  Newly Created Senior Position Will Support Accelerated Loan Growth Across Expanded New York City Footprint  https://lnkd.in/ep_TBmHA

Recognized for his work as UMEZ CEO—bringing equity and opportunity to upper Manhattan through job creation, corporate alliances, strategic investments and small business lending—Blair Duncan has been included among the 2024 Manhattan Power 100 by City & State NY. https://lnkd.in/d-vFfYuA #smallbusiness #revitalization #CDFI #manhattan #nyc