The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded $19.8 million to 12 projects across Detroit. One of the recipients of the grant is Black Tech Saturdays, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. Black Tech Saturdays allows creatives and tech enthusiasts to learn, innovate, and collaborate. The group will receive $2 million of the grant, which will be used to expand digital infrastructure, host events, enhance storytelling, and help unlock $10 million in income opportunities. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant Other recipients of the awards include the
Every entrepreneur knows that running a business is not for the fainthearted. You’re often working several hours a day, balancing several tasks, managing your own cash flow, and then there’s the extra burden of being a Black or Brown entrepreneur. 81% of minority founders experience mental health issues, with 60% experiencing anxiety and 20% dealing with depression. It’s an aspect of being a business person that isn’t spoken about widely enough, especially for minorities. This is what drove wellness entrepreneur and founder of BodyCompleteRx, Samia Gore, to launch Foundnwell, a community-driven non-profit
A group of West Michigan Black-led economic development organizations has received a $300,000 state grant to continue serving Black businesses in the area. The West Michigan Black Economic and Business Development Group was established during the COVID-19 pandemic and comprises Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses, Battle Creek-based Sisters in Business, Black Wall Street Kalamazoo, and Black Wall Street Muskegon. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. manages the Trusted Connector Grant program, which gives 23 organizations across the country a total of $6.8 million. A $300,000 grant The $300,000 grant will maintain
Actress Marsai Martin and her Marsai’s Way Foundation are teaming up with the nonprofit Seeds of Fortune Inc. to empower 10,000 young women through financial education and wealth-building initiatives over the next three years, according to a press release. The partnership will be launched at the Seed Forum: Women of Color Creating Wealth Summit, an event designed to address the racial and gender wealth gap by providing young women with opportunities to meet industry leaders who will empower them to become financial leaders. “Our partnership with Marsai’s Way Foundation allows us to scale
The Black Opportunity Fund (BOF), a community-led charity in Toronto, Canada, has announced the launch of BOF Capital. The initiative has two primary fundraising objectives: a $100 million private equity growth fund to support Black-owned businesses and a $50 million shared equity housing fund to help Black Canadians get on the property ladder, according to a press release. “We are creating innovative and sustainable pathways to economic empowerment by directly addressing the funding and opportunity gaps that have historically limited Black Canadians and those across the diaspora from building generational wealth,”
The Detroit-based tech meetup for creatives has received a $1 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The funding will be used to grow its workshop across the state, according to Crain’s Detroit Business. It’s the largest single grant out of $6.8 million that the MEDC is giving to 23 organizations as part of the Trusted Connector Grant program, the MEDC announced on Wednesday. The $1 million grant Black Tech Saturdays will run a pilot program in Detroit and Lansing, featuring 25-30 micro workshops that provide focused programming for
Black Ambition, the national initiative founded by Pharrell Williams, has announced the launch of a 10-week virtual program to support entrepreneurs in Florida. The Fundable Founders Learning Lab is part of a two-year initiative aimed at helping 500 Florida-based entrepreneurs, according to a press release. The initiative, which is backed by a $1 million investment from an anonymous donor, includes mentorship, expert training, and access to capital and networks that will help program participants grow their businesses. “This $1 million donation is more than just funding—it’s fuel for a new
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation donated $2 million to The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) to further the organization’s mission to expand, scale, and develop Black entrepreneurs across Atlanta and beyond. The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation’s $2M Donation The announcement was made during a fireside chat held at RICE, which featured Jay Bailey, President & CEO of RICE; Fay Twersky, President of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation; and Kacey Venning, a RICE stakeholder and nonprofit leader. “The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation’s belief in our mission
H&M has ended its partnership with the non-profit Buy From A Black Woman (BFABW) and paid the $83,000 it owed the organization almost a month after it was due, as reported by ADWEEK. BFABW was founded by Nikki Porcher in 2016. It provides Black women with educational programs, an online guide to hundreds of female-owned Black businesses, and funding to help Black women business owners achieve success. In 2021, H&M partnered with BFABW, hosting special events, and participating in its business accelerator, and organizing activities and donations tailored to Black-owned businesses.
Global music icon Shakira has partnered with Amazon and Code.org, through her non-profit, Fundación Pies Descalzos, to expand computer science education for Hispanic students worldwide. The collaboration will help young people learn to code through an interactive music experience that uses Shakira’s Spanish-language hits and also provide computer science education training to teachers across Colombia. Learning to code through music Shakira has long worked to enhance educational opportunities for underserved communities in Latin America. In celebration of the partnership, Shakira has donated songs like “Amarillo” and “Chantaje” to Code.org’s Music
