Ford, NUL $600K Initiative to Help Black Business Owners Impacted by COVID-19

Ford Motor Co. and its philanthropic arm, Ford Motor Company Fund, are joining with the National Urban League to provide $600,000 in grants to Black business owners negatively afflicted by COVID-19. The Emergency Capital Access Program (ECAP) will provide small grants, combined with technical assistance and advisory services, to Black business owners through National Urban League affiliates in Los Angeles, Detroit, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago and New York.

Each city will receive $100,000, enabling National Urban League affiliates to provide crucial economic support to businesses providing a stabilizing influence for communities hard hit by the pandemic.

Arva Rice, President and CEO of the New York Urban League (New York, NY) said, “With this extraordinarily generous grant, we will be able to serve even more people as the pandemic continues to disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities and business owners.

“Small businesses are a cornerstone of the African American community and play a vital role in their economic success,” said Pamela Alexander, director of Community Development, Ford Motor Company Fund. “The impact of the COVID pandemic has created economic uncertainty that necessitates immediate action. Our long-term partnership with the National Urban League allows us to quickly mobilize an initiative such as the Emergency Capital Access Program to get immediate assistance to those businesses in need.”

The ECAP initiative will be managed by local Urban League officials in each of the six cities.

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