Our Mission

To support the development and growth of minority entrepreneurs in a manner that leads to the creation of jobs in sustainable businesses and ultimately generates wealth for the owners, their families, and their communities.

The Entrepreneurship Center Program (ECP), with its focus on accelerating the growth of Black-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs, has become an even more crucial component in the quest for improved quality of life and economic resilience.

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2025 Empowerment Goal:

Every American has access to jobs with a living wage and good benefits

30,872

participants served in 2023 through counseling & training sessions

$110M

in financing & contracting opportunities

2,802

full-time/part-time jobs saved or created

Through training and support, the ECP filled vital gaps created during the COVID-19 crisis, such as a lack of access to capital, ineffective financial and/or operating systems, and weak management skills; and serving as a grantmaker, we awarded cash grants through public and private funds to small businesses.

Black Restaurant Accelerator Program (BRAP): Launched in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation, this $10 million, 5-year program addresses systemic barriers faced by Black-owned food service companies.

Thirteen Urban League affiliates, funded by the National Urban League’s signature Entrepreneurship Center Program, provide management counseling, mentoring, and training services geared toward the development of management skills that will enable minority entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, obtain financing or contracts, and preserve or create jobs.