NORFOLK, Va. - Black BRAND, the Black Chamber of Commerce for Hampton Roads and Dan River regions, has been awarded a large grant to help local minority-owned businesses in Norfolk.
The Rockefeller Foundation has awarded Black BRAND a $750,000 grant. The grant will support Black BRAND's B-Force Accelerator initiative, which will provide resources to 100 Norfolk-based African American and Latinx companies for the next three years.
The B-Force initiative provides a 12-week training program designed to help entrepreneurs access funding, plus free legal, accounting, and marketing resources.
“The reality today is that there are real systemic challenges which disproportionately hold back Black and Latinx small businesses. That’s why we are committed to investing in innovative, community-led solutions to help close the racial wealth gap in this country,” said Gregory Johnson, Managing Director for the Equity and Economic Opportunity initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation. “We are proud to support Black BRAND’s efforts to stabilize and strengthen underserved populations and businesses through strategic organizational and financial planning, and we look forward to the opportunities these funds will provide minority businesses in Norfolk.”
