Beyoncé is working to support Black-owned businesses that have been affected by COVID-19. On Thursday (July 9), the Lemonade singer’s philanthropic organization BeyGOOD and the NAACP announced their Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund grant campaign. The campaign will award a number of $10,000 grants to Black-owned small businesses that have been hit severely by the pandemic in recent months.
“BeyGOOD announces The Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund, assisting small businesses negatively impacted by recent events,” the organization wrote on Instagram. “The NAACP is proud to partner with BeyGOOD to help strengthen small businesses and to ensure economic empowerment for Black businesses.”
According to the NAACP’s website, the grants will be provided to businesses in Houston, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. To apply, entries must be a Black-owned small business and will need to provide property damage or a replacement estimate, the guidelines read.
“Over the last couple of months, the pandemic and outpours for justice throughout the Black community and across the country has been felt in every imaginable area of our lives, including in how our local businesses continue to operate,” the NAACP website adds. “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.”
Interested businesses can apply for the grants on the NAACP website until July 18 and recipients will be announced on July 31 on Beyonce.com.
As reported by REVOLT, Bey previously teamed up with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s Start Small Fund to donate $6 million in COVID-19 relief for essential workers. In June, she also launched the “Black Parade Route” — named after her single — which promotes Black-owned brands.
See BeyGOOD’s social media announcement below.