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PNC Foundation Grants $50,000 to Urban League of Broward County to Grow Black-Owned Businesses

Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Feb. 7, 2022 – The PNC Foundation has awarded the Urban League of Broward County a $50,000 grant to support the economic empowerment and social mobility of dozens of small, Black-owned businesses in South Florida.

The PNC Foundation grant will be used for the uBiz Co-Lab program – a cohort learning model that offers business owners access to six months of personalized business coaching by experts in marketing, IT, accounting, operations, and legal advice.

“PNC is committed to a diverse and vibrant economy in Broward County, with opportunities that help ensure success for minority business owners - the Urban League has proven time and again that it is central to making that happen,” said Cressman Bronson, PNC regional president for southeast Florida. “We are proud to support the Urban League by leveraging our resources to help them drive meaningful change and move all forward financially.”

            With the help from PNC, the Urban League of Broward County’s Entrepreneurship Center will continue to advance financial opportunities for minority entrepreneurs to grow by providing them with resources and access to capital to help their businesses thrive. In addition to expert coaching, the Urban League’s Entrepreneurship Center provides outreach, technical assistance and educational services, pre/post loan counseling, and access to capital through its Small Business Loan Fund. These support services are delivered primarily through group education, and one-on-one consultations. The Urban League has assisted over 2,150 minority entrepreneurs through this service delivery model since 2017.  

“The Urban League is proud to join efforts with PNC as we work together to build a stronger, more equitable community for small, minority-owned businesses,” said Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, president and CEO for the Urban League of Broward County. “We are pleased to see an increase in such investments that work to close the racial wealth gap and that strengthen community-based organizations led by people of color.”

This funding is part of PNC’s nationwide $88 billion Community Benefits Plan, which is inclusive of more than $1.5 billion to support the economic empowerment of Black and low- and moderate-income communities.

To learn more about the Urban League’s programs and services, call 954-584-0777 or visit ulbroward.org and cccdcorp.org.

 

 

About PNC Foundation
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.

 

About the Urban League of Broward County
The Urban League of Broward County is a not-for-profit organization founded to empower communities and change lives. Its mission is to enable African Americans and others in historically underserved communities secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. The Urban League’s ADVANCE programs uplift nearly 14,000 people every year through affordable housing initiatives, youth development and diversion, employment and training, entrepreneurship, health, and civic engagement. Learn more about the Urban League of Broward County by visiting www.ulbroward.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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