Photo Credit: Asterio Tecson / CC by 2.0
Beyoncé charitable foundation BeyGOOD is partnering with the NAACP to help black-owned businesses.
The pop culture icon made headlines back in April with BeyGOOD by donating $6 million to COVID-19 relief. She partnered with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall initiative for that effort. She also worked with rapper Megan Thee Stallion to remix “Savage,” with proceeds going to benefit Houston non-profits. Proceeds from her song “Black Parade” will also benefit the newly launched fund in partnership with the NAACP. The fund is administered by the National Urban League.
Beyoncé also worked with her mother to create the #IDIDMYPART campaign. The campaign encourages people nationwide to seek free COVID-19 testing. Now Beyoncé is partnering with the NAACP through her BeyGOOD foundation. The initiative provided access to free drive-through COVID-19 testing sites in South King County.
More than 1,200 people took advantage of the testing sites set up in under-served areas in Los Angeles. Those testing sites also delivered 3,500 essential cleaning supply kits and 1,200 face masks to those who were tested. Sample data from the testing sites show 577 people were tested, and 80% were people of color. Free testing sites in underserved areas can do a lot to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
Now, Beyoncé and the NAACP are launching the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund.
The fund will provide business grants of $10,000 to Black-owned businesses and companies. The NAACP says the grants will “help strengthen small businesses to ensure economic empowerment for Black businesses.”
“The challenges of Black business owners navigating in the climate cannot be understated, as the effects of uprisings across the nation have led to many businesses being placed in dire straits due to damages and other small business needs,” the NAACP statement says.
Eligible Black business owners include those who live in Houston, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, or Minneapolis. Expenses that the grant can cover include property loss, inventory replacement, and business-associated other expenditures.
Applicants who want to apply for the grant have until July 18 to do so. People who are selected to receive a grant from the initiative will be notified by July 31. The grant will help business owners regain their footing in cities rocked by riots and the coronavirus pandemic. Beyoncé’s commitment to continuing to fund community initiatives is admirable. Her work in these efforts was honored at the 2020 BET Awards, as she received the Humanitarian of the Year Award.