Founders First CDC Awards 25 Grants to Minority Businesses Throughout the State to Promote Premium Wage Employment Opportunities in Underserved Communities
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Founders First CDC ("Founders First"), a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers expansion in diverse, founder-led, revenue-generating businesses, announced the winners of its Job Creators Quest Grant today during a virtual press conference. More than 1,100 Texas businesses applied for the grants and 25 recipients were selected, with underrepresented and disadvantaged business owners receiving $100,000, collectively in cash and full-tuition scholarships to a Founders First CDC Business Accelerator Program. The grant recipients were selected from throughout Texas, including Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Fort Worth, serving a variety of industries – from construction and manufacturing to STEM, healthcare, and more.
"Small business owners experience challenges of growth and scale that make it difficult to oftentimes even stay in business. We are focused on addressing those exact obstacles and this Texas Job Creators grant program helps address those challenges, especially in the communities that need it the most," said Shaylon Scott, Executive Director of Founders First CDC. "Being a Texan myself, I'm so proud and excited about our impact here to support the successes of small business owners!"
The purpose of the Job Creators Quest Grant is to help business owners create premium wage jobs and reward small businesses throughout Texas to retain and grow their workforce through everyday hardships that come with being disadvantaged. This will help to positively impact the local economy, create job opportunities with higher wages, and provide the human capital needed for businesses to expand.
Darlisa Diltz, a former Texas Job Creators Quest Grant recipient and a graduate of the Bootcamp Accelerator Program, had this to say, "The Founders First program was so eye-opening for me. Being in the program helped me change my mindset about who I was as a founder and leader in the organization prior to joining. It was super motivational, and it led me to make some changes within my current structure. Instead of giving up, which I had considered several times, it gave me the extra push to reach that next level."
Since launching in 2021, Founders First CDC has awarded more than $1,000,000 to minority and underserved business owners throughout the United States with a focus on Texas, Chicago, SoCal, Twin Cities, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The recipients of the Texas Job Creators fund include:
- Akbar Abbas of Data Agility Group, Inc.
- Charmane Sellers of Aleon Properties, Inc.
- Christopher Foreman of Foreman Business Interests LLC
- Dennis Hoang of Patturn | Jender
- Devaron Yates of Wealth Development Strategies LLC
- Ebony Butler of The The Center for Creating Change LLC
- Idowu Itola of Lydia Painting LLC
- Jaren Collins of JCI Creatives LLC
- Jay Veal of It's Not Complicated Education, LLC
- Jeffrey Vigil of My Business Matches Inc
- Joe Arenella of Tracker Systems, LLC
- Jose Perez of Roads Consulting Group
- Kelly Johnson of IREP Junk Removal
- Linda Marroquin of Quick Qabinets
- Lisa Brunet of DLZP Group, LLC
- Michael Farmer of Innova Learning Inc.
- Misty Dawsey of Excellence Academy
- Moses Varghese of Lumos Technology Services
- OdyDe La Paz of Sensytec
- Psychelia Terry of UI Global Brands
- Rachel Bays of Illuminate Video
- Tamanika Marshall of Lumin Diagnostic Services, LLC
- Thakela Nabors of Organically Beauty Inc
The judging committee for the Texas Job Creators Grant includes a panel of our partners and other successful business owners.
To be eligible for the Job Creators Quest Grant, the company's founder had to be a person of color, LGBTQIA+, a military Veteran, a woman, or have a business located in a low to moderate-income area and be a for-profit company with annual revenues between $100,000 to $3 million. Grant winners will use the funds to help add 1-2 new premium wage jobs in the next 12 months.
In addition to announcing the winners of the Job Creators Quest Grant today, Founders First CDC also announced another grant opportunity, the Stephen L. Tadlock Grant for Veteran business owners throughout the nation. The deadline for application is October 16, 2023.
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 to entrepreneurs of color and female founders to become leading employers in their communities. www.foundersfirstcdc.org.
Media Contact
Janine Drake, Founders First CDC, 1 8582068542, [email protected], https://foundersfirstcdc.org/
SOURCE Founders First CDC
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