Comcast says it is investing more than $1 million in community organizations that help minority businesses grow through training and mentorship and is reaching out to other 100 others in metro Atlanta that could use help through $10,000 grants.
The Philadelphia cable giant said it has donated the money to the Atlanta Business League, Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Atlanta MBDA Business Center at Georgia Tech and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. The goal is to “help minority-owned, and specifically, black owned businesses thrive.” Comcast did not say how much each organization received.
“Comcast is proud to make this investment in Atlanta, which has established itself as a hub for successful Black, Indigenous and People of Color-owned small businesses,” Jason Gumbs, Regional Senior Vice President at Comcast, said in a release. “Comcast RISE will play a major role in supporting the Atlanta area’s diverse, small business community at a historically challenging time, offering the necessary resources to assist them in 2021 and beyond.”
The funding is part of a national push by Comcast to support businesses and tech in minority communities hurt by the pandemic, including operations in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Philadelphia.
Beginning March 1 and ending March 14, eligible Atlanta businesses can apply for one of 100 $10,000 grants the company will award in May through its Comcast Rise fund. Comcast Rise was launched in October 2020 and initially focused on black-owned small businesses. The fund later extended to include businesses owned by the indigenous and Black communities as well as other people of color hardest hit by COVID-19.
About the Author
