ATLANTA - The application process will start Wednesday for small businesses owned by women and people of color in the Atlanta area to try to receive one of 100 grants from Comcast totaling $10,000.
Atlanta is one of five cities receiving a total of $1 million as part of Comcast’s Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment (RISE) investment fund.
The application process will be open to small qualifying businesses in the city of Atlanta as well as Fulton, Gwinnett, Clayton, Cobb, and DeKalb counties.
Comcast formed RISE in late 2020 to give small businesses owned by people of color the grants needed to not just survive, but thrive.
"The pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to my business," said Sabrina Scott-Pappas, owner of ES Bev Co. "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."
Comcast RISE invests in ongoing mentorship and resources to help businesses succeed over the long-term. The program has partnered with Ureeka, an online platform for entrepreneurs, to provide grant recipients with business coaching to help build skills in company foundation, growing customers and financial stability.
The businesses chosen can use the grants for projects such as marketing and technology makeovers.
All Comcast RISE recipients will have a specialized online networking community within Ureeka with access to educational resources, sources of capital, and vetted experts such as U.S. Black Chambers, National Asian Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Association for Enterprise Opportunity, Walker’s Legacy and Operation Hope.
"Ureeka is proud to partner with Comcast RISE to grow small businesses nationwide with coaching and digital services," said, Melissa Bradley, Co-Founder, Ureeka. "We know there are stark disparities in access to capital and resources for entrepreneurs of color and women entrepreneurs. The additional coaching and digital resources that these businesses receive, in addition to potential monetary funding, will help these businesses gain valuable skills and opportunities that will help them move from survive to thrive."
"I am proud of the positive impact the Comcast RISE program continues to have in supporting local businesses in Atlanta and across the country," said Jason Gumbs, Regional SVP at Comcast. "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."
With the five cities chosen, the program will have awarded $1.6 million to date. The 4,700 recipients chosen so far are from 422 cities across 34 states. In November 2021, Comcast RISE announced a major expansion to all women-owned businesses nationwide.
The other cities chosen to receive grants in the current application process are Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Twin Cities.