Today, the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Inc. (BECMA) announced that it has awarded more than $100,000 in grants to twenty-three (23) Black-owned restaurants & foodservice businesses in support of their capacity-building efforts. The grants were made possible by the generous contributions of Berkshire Bank and the Boston Foundation, and dispersed in partnership with the Business Equity COVID-19 Emergency Fund (BECEF).
This support comes at a critical time for small Black businesses across the Commonwealth as many were recently denied funding from the SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund due to a court order. A survey conducted by the MassINC Polling Group in July 2020 found that at least 11% of Black businesses had closed their doors for good. Scores of others did not have access to, or received very little, federal, state, or local financial assistance and so have not been able to fully prepare for the full reopening of the state’s economy.
These grants aim to help Black business owners invest in the long-term growth of their ventures by covering the cost of equipment, digital tools, infrastructure improvements like outdoor dining, marketing, or back office support.
“The pandemic set back a Black business community that was on the rise,” said BECMA President and CEO, Segun Idowu. “With so few of our Main Streets businesses like restaurants receiving little support from federal and other government programs, and with the recent devastating court decision to halt the SBA Restaurant Revitalization Program payments to minority-owned businesses, we are working hard to deliver as much support to these staples of the Black economy as possible.”
“We are proud to partner with BECMA to offer this meaningful support to one of our hardest hit industries,” said Glynn Lloyd, Executive Director of the Foundation for Business Equity and CEO of Mills City Community Investments, as well as a BECEF member. “Initially, the BECEF supported 27 local Black and Latinx companies with recoverable grants coupled with hours of advisory support. We are glad to be able to extend this support and share financial tools that will help these businesses stabilize and grow.”
“During my tenure, it was important to me to work with organizations that had deep connections to the communities we serve,” said Malia Lazu, founder of The Lazu Group, current MIT Sloan lecturer, and former Regional President of Berkshire Bank. “This support for BECMA and its member businesses was a step toward ensuring that those most impacted received the crucial resources that they needed.”
The businesses awarded the hospitality grants include:
- The Ancient Bakers (Boston)
- Delectable Desires Pastries (Boston)
- Essentially Yours LLC (Boston)
- Fair Nutrition (Boston)
- Fresh Food Generation (Boston)
- Jamaica Mi Hungry (Boston)
- The Little Cocoa Bean Company (Boston)
- Merengue (Boston)
- The Pearl Seafood Grill and Raw Bar (Boston)
- Soleil Restaurant (Boston)
- Suya Joint (Boston)
- Sweet Teez Bakery (Boston)
- Urban Food and Beverage (Boston)
- ZaZ Restaurant (Boston)
- Sherlie’s Kitchen (Brockton)
- Nussli118 (Cambridge)
- Chocolate Therapy Inc. (Framingham)
- Ronnies Restaurants Inc. (Oak Bluffs)
- Vineyard Caribbean Cuisine (Oak Bluffs)
- Sarah Brown Oak Bluffs Comfort Food (Oak Bluffs)
- Chef Deon/The Three Island Chef (Oak Bluffs)
- Chaku Food (Rutland)
- White Lion Brewing Company (Springfield)
These grants are part of BECMA’s ongoing strategy to advocate for and support Black businesses across the Commonwealth. Last Tuesday, June 8th, the organization convened local business owners for a roundtable discussion with Secretary Michael Kennealy, Larry Andrews, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, and other staff members from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development to explore solutions to the many challenges that Black businesses faced before and during the pandemic, as well as new challenges they are experiencing as the state fully reopens.
As the Commonwealth celebrates Juneteenth, the day that marks when enslaved peoples in Galveston Bay, Texas were the last to learn of the end of chattel slavery in the United States, and as state and local officials debate how to apportion billions of dollars in federal funds, we call on them to set aside a significant amount for investment in Black businesses and entrepreneurs. For, the pandemic has made clear that the health and well-being of Massachusetts is directly tied to the health and well-being of the Black community.
Last month, BECMA also launched its statewide policy agenda, Massachusetts Black Economic Policy Agenda: Envisioning A New Normal to uplift policies that address the immediate support businesses need to reopen at full capacity and to lay a foundation for an equitable and just recovery while creating a roadmap to ensure Black communities are prepared for future disasters.
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About BECMA: The mission of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Inc. (BECMA) is to advance the economic well-being of Black businesses, organizations, and people in Massachusetts through advocacy, business and leadership development, and strategic partnerships. Learn more at www.becma.org
About BECEF: During the summer of 2020, a coalition of business support organizations including Foundation for Business Equity, The Boston Foundation, Amplify Latinx, Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Boston Ujima Project and Commonwealth Kitchen, successfully launched a Business Equity Covid-19 Emergency Fund (BECEF), which led to the deployment of over $1 million dollars to 27 Black and Latinx businesses across Massachusetts impacted by the pandemic. In addition to funding, each participating business received customized 1
