Beyoncé’s foundation is donating $10,000 grants to black-owned businesses.
The singer’s BeyGOOD organisation has teamed up with the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) to help those businesses suffering during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement on NAACP’s website reads: "This will be offered to Black-owned small businesses in select cities to help sustain businesses during this time. The NAACP is proud to partner with BeyGOOD to help strengthen small businesses and to ensure economic empowerment for Black businesses … The challenges of Black business owners navigating in the climate cannot be understated, as the effects of uprisings across the nation have led to many businesses being placed in dire straits due to damages and other small business needs."
These grants are available to businesses in Houston, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and Minneapolis and the application process opened on Thursday (09.07.20) and will continue until July 18.
It comes after Beyonce’s charity donated $6 million to mental health wellness.
A statement on her website read: "BeyGOOD recognizes the immense mental and personal health burdens being placed on essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In our major cities, African-Americans comprise a disproportionate number of workers in these indispensable occupations, and they will need mental health support and personal wellness care, including testing and medical services, food supplies and food deliveries, both during and after the crisis. BeyGOOD has partnered with Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall to provide $6 million in funding to organizations providing mental wellness services, through a key national partnership with UCLA. The initiative is also partnering with the National Alliance in Mental Illness (NAMI) to offer local support in Houston, New York, New Orleans and Detroit."