Downtown Allentown Alliance secures $800K+ in funding

Earlier this year the Downtown Allentown Alliance was formed to build on the economic development going on in the city’s center. 

The alliance announced Wednesday that it has now secured more than $800,000 in public and private funding to launch a number of pilot programs including an ambassador program, a marketing campaign and an activation plan, beginning this fall. 

The goal of the DAA is to provide cohesive management of a sustainable effort to enhance the Downtown Allentown experience for residents, employees and visitors.  

Initial focus areas include positive public perception, a welcoming environment, retail variety and vibrancy and recognition of the City’s diverse cultural heritage. 

According to the DAA, in July, Allentown City Council approved a $300,000 donation from the City of Allentown.  

Last week, the board of the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority (ANIZDA) pledged $150,000 over two years to DAA in support of marketing within the Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ). 

Those contributions are in addition to $114,000 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, previously secured by state Senator Nick Miller to help launch the DAA. 

Private funding of $240,000 was awarded to DAA in August by the board of the Downtown Allentown Community Development Initiative (DADCI), whose member organizations include Air Products, Alvin H. Butz, Capital Blue Cross, City Center Group, Duggan and Marcon, Dunne Manning, Gross McGinley, Leonard Parker Pool Institute for Health, LVHN, Morton Brown, North Star Construction Management, PPL and St. Luke’s University Health Network. The DADCI board also voted to become a committee of the DAA board called the Founders Council. 

“We are deeply grateful to all of the donors who are helping make our launch initiatives possible,” said Jill Meyers, DAA acting director. “The early support from Senator Nick Miller and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the City of Allentown and ANIZDA, provided a critical foundation that inspired many private-sector partners to join our cause. We’re especially thankful to the DACDI member organizations, whose commitment to downtown 

Allentown has been instrumental in moving the DAA’s vision forward.” 

Last year, the DAA Steering Committee led by Senator Miller partnered with Public Sphere Projects, a national planning consultant, to develop a strategy to boost Downtown Allentown’s assets, using public input from surveys and in-person events, retailer market analysis, and stakeholder focus groups.