Creating Opportunities For Communities of Color
Longtime San Francisco nonprofit community organizations Working Solutions, ICA Fund Good Jobs, and Pacific Community Ventures are partnering with JPMorgan Chase to launch the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund in San Francisco. This initiative aims to make capital and business consulting more accessible to people of color who are starting or growing businesses in San Francisco.
Access to Capital
Every day, 8,000 small business loan requests are declined by banks across the nation. Here in California, people of color are three-times more likely to start a small business, and they are three-times as likely to be turned down for loans by a bank.
Small businesses combat rising income inequality by creating local jobs with living wages; and yet, small businesses struggle to access the capital and support they need to grow. The Entrepreneurs of Color Fund closes that gap with a range of services designed to support the growth, profitability, and sustainability of companies owned by people of color in San Francisco.
We start at $5,000 loans for new businesses and up to $200,000 for established and growing businesses, and offer tailored capital investments above $200,000 for businesses ready to scale. Funds are used for all stages of business development, from starting up to funding business growth.
Get started by clicking on your small business capital needs or your stage of business below.
Early Stage
($5K – $50K Loan)
Microloans for startups and early-stage businesses. Includes free pre- and post-loan consulting to help you prove your ideas and grow your business.
Middle Stage
($50K – $200K Loan)
Loans and working capital to help you grow, thrive and succeed. Includes free one-on-one expert advice on any business challenge or topic.
Growth Stage
($200K – $1M Investments)
Hybrid capital investments for companies to scale. Includes ongoing advisory services to promote job creation, quality, and access.
If your business is located in San Francisco and you need assistance to decide which of the above is right for you, please contact us at eoc@workingsolutions.org.
Small Business Advising and Scaling
Entrepreneurs need more than a check to be successful over the long haul, and The Entrepreneurs of Color Fund pairs the right capital with the right business advice – whether it’s through guidance with your application, one-on-one business mentoring, or a tailored business accelerator – to support business growth and long-term sustainability.
Financial Consulting
Pre- and post-loan financial consulting for early-stage entrepreneurs to help you reach your objectives.
Business Mentoring
Free, confidential and ongoing one-on-one advice on any topic, like marketing, sales, and finance, from a network of thousands of business experts.
Classes and Workshops
Practical education like the annual Growth Strategies course and hands-on advising in the Good Jobs Accelerator.
About Our Collaborative
This collaborative of nonprofit community development financial institutions (CDFIs) – Working Solutions, Pacific Community Ventures, ICA Fund Good Jobs – are long standing economic and community builders of small business in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now, with support from JPMorgan Chase, we can deepen our services and outreach. Through this partnership, we aim to create a continuum of capital and consulting to support small businesses run by entrepreneurs of color at every stage of their business.
