KALAMAZOO- The fall 2022 round of the Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grants (KMEG) program has come to a close, and United Way of South Central Michigan has announced 60 new recipients.
KMEG, one of three United Way small business programs, provides $5,000 grants to eligible businesses within the city of Kalamazoo and is designed to bring relief to Kalamazoo businesses in need of support.
These grants are also an effort to remedy historical disparities that exist in funding sources for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and women-owned businesses, as well as those located within Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo neighborhoods of Eastside, Edison, and Northside.
Of the 60 grants awarded, nearly 70 percent went to BIPOC-owned businesses, and over 63 percent to women-owned businesses.
“One of my favorite things about the KMEG program is learning about Kalamazoo’s really cool small businesses, especially the BIPOC- and women-owned businesses who have been historically underserved and overlooked,” said Molly Trueblood, UWSCMI Associate Director of Small Business.
One of the 60 small businesses that received KMEG funding this fall session was a company known to the community as Family Jewelz, a brow-shaping, mapping, and micro-shading business owned by Yohanna Peters.
“As an African American female entrepreneur, having access to funding and equal opportunities are two of the most important aspects to starting and growing a business,” Peters said.
“Having United Way as a source for funding, along with resources and connections, is a blessing. I am personally thankful to Molly for her support throughout the process. As a grant recipient I will be using the funds to obtain more training in permanent make-up artistry as I continue perfecting my craft to serve the women of Kalamazoo one brow at a time!”
Another KMEG grantee, Rico of Full Service Auto Repair, had this to say regarding the grant:
“Our auto repair shop owns many tools that need software updates to repair newer vehicles. This grant from United Way has helped us purchase the newer equipment and software that we need to continue repairing vehicles for those in our community, including longtime customers in the Milwood area.”
The Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grants are expected to continue in the year 2023, with expansion across Kalamazoo County with support from Kalamazoo County Government. Trueblood said she’s looking forward to serving small businesses with Spring and Fall rounds, mirroring 2022.
“I’m so impressed by the creativity of entrepreneurs in our community and the passion they put into their work, and I believe it is important to support them,” she said. “I am grateful that the United Way, City of Kalamazoo, and Foundation for Excellence have come together to support business owners in this way, and I am looking forward to meeting more small business owners during next year’s KMEG.”
For more information, outcomes, and grantees, please visit https://unitedforscmi.org/micro-enterprise-grants/. More details on 2023 will be released soon.