“Together We Win”, The Rockefeller Foundation & Google.org Further Commitment to Black & Latino-Led Businesses Affected By Covid-19
Oakland, California – Oct. 6, 2020—
“Together We Win” | “Juntos Ganamos”, a campaign geared towards encouraging consumers to support small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, is collaborating with The Rockefeller Foundation Opportunity Collective (ROC) to expand its nationwide efforts and deepen its long-term commitment to help those Black and Latino-owned businesses in need and the communities in which they reside. A specific focus of this effort are those underrepresented small businesses employing the most vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19. This effort will complement the initial pledge of “Together We Win” and provide support to more than 10 cities across the United States, and builds on Hispanic in Philanthropy’s PowerUp Fund efforts, funded by Google.org, to directly support hundreds of Latino-owned SMBs with access to capital and the training they need to overcome the economic downturn and continue to grow.
ROC aims to catalyze public and private sector investment in places to promote more inclusive growth, both in the post-pandemic recovery and over the long term, and is an ideal partner for “Together We Win” as it allows the campaign to focus on those cities and communities home to Black and Latino-owned SMBs most affected including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, El Paso, Houston, Louisville, Miami, Newark, Norfolk, and Oakland. The Rockefeller Foundation has pledged an initial $10 million, which it will allocate to a collective of government, business, faith-based, and non-profit partners in these 10 cities, all of which have two core goals: protecting communities and eliminating barriers to access capital and credit among low wage workers and small businesses operated by women, Black, and Latino owners.
“We are excited by the renaissance of partners interested in supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is a demonstrated means to economic independence. This investment supports the ability of Latinx entrepreneurs, who have opened businesses at almost double the rate of business openings for any other demographic group in recent years. They are critical to the local and national economies – providing jobs and local essential goods and services to low income or vulnerable groups. This investment furthers our goal of helping these vulnerable enterprises stabilize, scale, and grow to the benefit of their families and communities,” said Gregory Johnson, Director, U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity, The Rockefeller Foundation...