Founders First CDC Empowers Pennsylvania and New Jersey Businesses with $100,000 in Grants
SAN DIEGO (PRWEB) July 28, 2023 -- Founders First CDC, a leading national nonprofit organization recently announced the winners of its Job Creators Quest Grant during a virtual press conference. This year, 25 minority and underrepresented business owners from various industries, including construction, manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, and hospitality, were selected out of over 700 applicants to receive $100,000 in cash and full-tuition scholarships to a Founders First CDC business accelerator program.
“The Job Creators Quest Grant aims to create premium wage jobs and support diverse-led businesses in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, positively impacting the local economy and fostering growth,” emphasized Shaylon Scott, Executive Director of Founders First CDC. “As of 2022, both of these states rank in the top ten for the highest number of small businesses – many of them diverse-led. Our commitment is to provide resources and funding opportunities to diverse business owners while promoting premium wage job growth.”
Congratulations to the twenty-five 2023 Pennsylvania and New Jersey Job Creators Grant finalists:
Rosaline Gordon of The Gordon Group Financial Services
Timothy May of Ghost Creativ
Corinne Chowansky of Simple Safety Solutions
Cameron Carter of Carter's Concierge
Frank Stinson of Below Body Bar
Edward Spann of ELS Dynamic Consulting
David Lewis of MacroBites
Noel Ramirez of Mango Tree Counseling and Consulting
Cheryl McCants of Impact Consulting Enterprises
Quaiser Abdullah of Statera Coaching & Leadership Consulting
Jooyoung Diamond of DHD consulting
Fanny Boquin of Helping Hands medical transportation
Angela Leishman of Northstar Environmental
Benjamin Smith of TriTech Services Group
Robert Patterson of Nextech Heating Cooling & Appliance Repair
Kris Mendoza of Maestro Filmworks
Fernando Barrios of RBM Maintenance
Emeka Oguh of PeopleJoy
Ewerton Borges of Spectra Polymers and Color Specialties Inc.
Cherron Rountree of Direct Development
Margaret Sewekow of Perry iSearch
Jennafer Ross of JR Global Events
Virginia Gavin of Appligent Inc.
Andrew Magnus of BTC Envelopes & Printing
Juan Ramos of J&L Custom Fabrication
To be eligible for the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Job Creators Quest Grant, companies must meet specific criteria, including being founded by individuals who are Black, Indigenous, a person of color, LGBTQIA+, military Veterans, women, or located in low to moderate-income areas. The grant winners are expected to create 1-2 net new premium wage jobs in the next 12 months.
Amanda Puppo is a past Pennsylvania/New Jersey Job Creators Quest Grant recipient and a graduate of the Bootcamp Accelerator Program. She is the CEO of MarketReach, Inc. When asked how she planned to use the grant funds, she had this to say, “We are hiring a salesperson that will help grow this company, particularly in some new niches, like experimenting with AI. That is the main goal that we have right now to have someone besides myself maintain a full sales pipeline each month and can close more deals. So I am on the hunt for someone.”
Since its launch in 2021, Founders First CDC has awarded over $787,000 to minority and underserved business owners in Texas, Chicago, Southern California, Twin Cities, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Funding for the program comes from numerous partners, including Founders First Capital Partners. These partnerships aim to support underrepresented entrepreneurs in underserved communities.
In these uncertain economic times, small businesses need access to essential support and resources to thrive. Founders First CDC remains dedicated to providing the necessary tools and funding for small businesses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and beyond to succeed, no matter the challenges they face.
In addition to announcing the winners of the Job Creators Quest Grant finalist today, Founders First CDC also announced another grant opportunity, the Stephen L. Tadlock National Grant for Veteran-led businesses, which opens September 19, 2023.
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About Founders First CDC
Founders First CDC is a not-for-profit 501c3 that was founded in 2015 and has received significant support from the regional community reinvestment banks to empower diverse founder-led, revenue-generating small businesses through three primary programs: (1) Founders Challenge; (2) Founders Bootcamp; and (3) Founders FastPath. By building recurring revenues, tech-enablement, and essential solution focus, Founders First serves as a catalyst for positive change for entrepreneurs of color and female founders to become leading employers in their communities. http://www.foundersfirstcdc.org
Janine Drake, Founders First Capital Partners, http://Founders First Capital Partners, 1 858-206-8542, [email protected]
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