The New York City Council has approved $850,000 in this year’s city budget for the Pratt Center for Community Development’s Made in NYC (MINYC) initiative, enabling new programs to support women and minority-owned businesses.
MINYC leverages the skills, experience, and perspectives of Pratt faculty and students to help more than 1,500 local manufacturers improve their marketing and community outreach. MINYC companies are located across the city and produce products in sectors such as fashion, jewelry, food and beverage, beauty and wellness, home and interiors, print and media, and machinery and metals, along with goods for pets, babies, and children.
The Pratt Center is a part of Pratt Institute and was formed 60 years ago to help community organizations build a more sustainable and equitable city. In recent years, the Pratt Center has collaborated on efforts to improve basement apartments, strengthen tenant rights, and facilitate community planning in the South Bronx, while also launching a program to retrofit homes in East Brooklyn.
Through MINYC, local manufacturers receive free marketing and creative services, such as professional photography and video production. Businesses also gain access to a community of like-minded small business owners, and get to use the Made In NYC logo in their marketing, appealing to conscientious consumers who want to shop locally. Pratt students and faculty improve their professional skills through the MINYC Learning Lab fellowship program.
Made in NYC Week 2023, MINYC’s fifth annual celebration of the local manufacturing community, brought together nearly 200 people from local makers to larger manufacturing businesses and the organizations that support them. MINYC is currently reaching out to underserved makers and local entrepreneurs to grow the network, while updating its Learner Lab program to better respond to evolving client needs with new programs and creative services.
