Minneapolis, Minnesota – Black Women’s Wealth Alliance
The Black Women’s Wealth Alliance (BWWA) is a Black-owned and led small business alliance that provides wealth education and services, technical support, professional development, and financial assistance to Black women business owners. Since 2014, BWWA has served over 4,000 women, provided over $1.3 million in grants, and facilitated $780,000 in lending. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when 41% of Black businesses in the U.S. closed and more than 130,000 Black women were fired or furloughed, BWWA piloted the BEE Marketplace. The program is an online cultural marketplace that showcases the talents, products, and services of Black women-owned businesses and Black women entrepreneurs, and it supports businesses impacted by the uprisings that occurred in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. As of 2021, 35 Black women business owners and entrepreneurs have participated in the marketplace.