BIPOC-Owned Small Businesses Encouraged to Apply
Courtesy of City of Lansing
Mayor Andy Schor, in partnership with the Lansing Economic Development Corporation (Lansing EDC), has announced the creation of The Empower Program as part of the Lansing Equitable Economic Development (LEED) Initiative. The program was created to support and empower BIPOC-owned (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) small businesses in the City of Lansing by providing them the technical support to strengthen their business operations and make them more profitable. The Empower Program is a 6-month program that will pair 25 businesses with a team of dedicated project managers, consultants, and business specialists to create and implement an individualized business development plan for each participant. “Economic development should be done through an equity lens and the Empower Program is an important step forward for Lansing. It will provide technical assistance for BIPOC-owned small businesses and give them the tools, opportunities, and access to expertise, resources, and training to start and sustain successful businesses,” Schor stated. “Earlier this year, I announced in my State of the City address that I had allocated resources to launch this program through our Lansing EDC. I am excited to expand the universe of those doing economic development in our city, especially for those who haven’t had the opportunities to contribute to this growth in the past.” The Lansing Equitable Economic Development Initiative (LEED Initiative) was designed to address the findings of the Mayor’s Racial Justice and Equity Alliance (MRJEA) Plan, intended to identify the harmful impacts of institutional racism within our community and create initiatives that strive towards achieving racial equity. Federal ARPA funding allocated by Mayor Schor will be used to implement this program. Applications will close on June 18, 2023. For more details on program curriculum, eligibility, and application visit: https://lansingedc.com/empower-program.
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