BLCK VC’s Emergency Relief Fund Resource List for Founders of Color
Note: This post was updated at 12:00 p.m. ET on August 11. We will continue to update it as more resources become available.
We have been speaking with members of the BLCK VC community about the racial disparities in how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting the African-American community. Many of our colleagues, friends and families have experienced a lot of loss. Some are losing family members. Others have been laid off. And some are working reduced hours that will have a negative impact on their household incomes. We have been sharing resources on a case-by-case basis over the past several weeks. But we wanted to disseminate this information more efficiently.
Aria Florant and Nick Noel from McKinsey & Company recently published “COVID-19: Investing in black lives and livelihoods.” It details how black communities have been impacted disproportionately by the COVID-19 pandemic professionally and financially. An estimated 39% of jobs held by Black professionals are in jeopardy, compared to 34% of roles held by white professionals. For those that have been impacted by the pandemic, we have compiled a list of resources for individuals and small business owners. If you hear of any opportunities that are still accepting applications that we missed, please share them in the comments below.
For individuals
Fashion Nova Cares with Cardi B established a $1 million fund for individuals impacted by COVID-19 (Deadline is May 20, 2020)
Cleo Capital launched Chrysalis, a fellowship for professionals who have been laid off
For independent contractors
Coronavirus Beauty Relief Fund is offering grants to beauty professionals to cover basic necessities
Mayven’s Stylist Support Relief Fund is offering grants to hair salon stylists
Reclamation Ventures’ Relief Fund is offering $2,500 grants for marginalized independent wellness instructors and businesses
New Voices and Barefoot Wine’s Hair Salon COVID-19 Recovery Microgrants is offering (25) $1,000 grants for Black women-owned hair salons
For small businesses looking for grants and loans
Founders First Capital Partners, LLC offers revenue-based financing for minority, military veterans and female founders
Visa x IFundWomen program is offering $10,000 grants to Black woman-owned businesses (Deadline is July 31, 2020)
Beyonce’s BeyGOOD and the NAACP’s Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund is offering $10,000 grants to small business owners to restore damaged property (Deadline is July 18, 2020)
Whitney Brown and Lauren Napier created Consider Something Better to provide $5M of funding for Black woman-led businesses (Deadline is August 1, 2020)
Clean Beauty Summer School is a mentorship program and $10,000 pitch competition for 10 majority Black-owned small beauty businesses (Deadline is 11:59PM PST July 15, 2020)
Buy From a Black Woman’s The Black Woman Relief Fund will provide relief funds for 15 Black women business owners
SoGal’s Black Founder Startup Grant offers $5,000 and $10,000 grants to Black women and non-binary founders
Hennessey’s Unfinished Business grant offers Black, Asian, and Latinx small business owners payroll and general operating expense relief (Deadline is 11:59pm EST on July 1, 2020)
Generational Advantage Fund’s COVID-19 Disaster Relief Payroll Grant is for Black female small business owners who need assistance covering payroll expenses (Deadline is July 1, 2020)
Kerby Jean-Raymond’s Your Friends in New York is a $50,000 emergency grant fund for women and people of color who are creative small business owners
Minority Business Development Agency’s Enterprising Women of Color Grant Competition supports entrepreneurs who are women of color (Deadline is May 30, 2020 at 11:59 pm EDT)
Ava DuVernay established the $250,000 Array Grants for arts organizations dedicated to telling the stories of women and people of color
The Opportunity Fund offers microloans to low- and moderate-income immigrants, women and underserved small business owners
Vaunt and Venture Noire’s #ShootersChallenge Relief Grant was created for 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
For startups looking for venture capital funding
Collab Capital invests in Black entrepreneurs
Debut Capital invests in Black, Latinx and Indigenous founders
Black Star Fund invests in American and African businesses
Color invests in early stage companies, prioritizing female founders and founders of color
Bronze VC invests in companies that service communities on the social and economic margin
The Citi Impact Investing Fund has allocated $150 million in funds for women and founders of color
Acumen America invests in business solutions for underserved markets
MaC Venture Capital invests in tech companies
digitalundivided’s Doonie Fund invests in Black women entrepreneurs
Impact America Fund invests in ideas that support low and moderate income communities of color
Serena Ventures builds early stage companies with diverse leadership teams
Black Angel Tech Fund invests in Black tech entrepreneurs
1863 Ventures is an accelerator for diverse founders
The Fearless Fund invests in women founders of color at the pre-seed, seed or Series A round
New Voices Fund invests in women of color entrepreneurs
Backstage Capital invests in women, people of color and LGBTQ founders
The Ambition Fund supports women and minority founders
New Age Capital invests in tech startups founded by Black and Latinx entrepreneurs
Harlem Capital Partners invests in diverse founders of tech-enabled companies
General funding resources
Our Fair Share is a guide to help business owners of color apply for SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans
CARES Act is the official database of emergency relief resources from the US government
iFundWomen x GingerBread Capital are offering $10,000 COVID-19 relief grants for companies that have not previously raised traditional VC funds
Hello Alice’s COVID-19 Business Resource Center is a comprehensive list of loans, grants, mental health support and more
People of Color in Tech posted a COVID-19 Funding Opportunity list
The Helm has a Complete Guide to Emergency Funding for Female Founders
fundBLACKfounders is crowdfunding platform for Black entrepreneurs
Black Girl Ventures helps Black and Brown women founders gain access to capital
Founders Gym helps underrepresented founders fundraise
The Seneca Network connects early-stage founders of color with funding opportunities
Black & Brown Founder’s PitchBlack is a pitch competition for Black and Latinx founders
General information
Black American Startup Resource List includes over 200 resources for the ideation, launch and growth stages of a startup
HBCUvc has a list of digital resources for gaining new skills, job hunting, managing your mental health and more
Black Founders supports diverse tech entrepreneurs through events and programming
Hillman provides educational resources to underrepresented startup founders
