Comcast said Thursday it will award 100 Atlanta businesses owned by women and people of color a total of $1 million to help the companies with their growth.
The cable giant said it will accept applications for the funding from qualifying businesses in the city of Atlanta and Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties from June 1 through June 14. Recipients will have “access to educational resources, sources of capital and vetted experts” through the cable giant’s Comcast’s Rise Investment fund, the company said.
The Comcast Rise Investment Fund was founded in 2020 to help support minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
Experts helping Comcast include representatives from the U.S. Black Chambers, National Asian Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Comcast said.
Sabrina Scott-Pappas, owner of ES Bev Co. and a recipient of the Comcast funding, said the pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to her business.
“The Comcast RISE program supported my business at a very pivotal time, providing an upgraded technology package that helped us not just weather the storm, but actually thrive.” she said.
Atlanta is one of five cities selected for the funding. The others -- each of which will get $1 million for their women- and minority-owner businesses, are Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Minneapolis-St. Paul. To date, Comcast said it has awarded $16 million to businesses through its Comcast Rise program.
“I am proud of the positive impact the Comcast RISE program continues to have in supporting local businesses in Atlanta and across the country,” Jason Gumbs, Comcast’s senior regional vice president, said in a statement. “It is gratifying to see firsthand how the program has benefitted small business owners, who continue to excel and make incredible contributions to our communities.”
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