Food Inspired: Clark’s Special Kitchen

“Food is where my heart is. Food makes me happy.”  These are the words of Isa Clark, who as owner and founder of Clark’s Special Kitchen, wants to share his passion for food and make others happy, too.  Since 2022, Clark’s Special Kitchen has been serving the Kalamazoo community with some incredible Nigerian Fusion cuisine.…

Read More

Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grants: Fall 2022 Recipients Announced

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…

Read More

Kzoo Boxing: Fighting with a Purpose

For Jermont Reece, the pandemic was not an opportunity to slow down, but to start up. Owner of Kzoo Boxing, Reece took the leap and built his own business after the startup he was working for closed. After getting the space he needed in July of 2020, he was ready to take the next steps…

Read More

Kalamazoo Grant Program Returns,
Providing Relief for Smallest Businesses

KALAMAZOO, Mich. [March 30, 2022]—A grant program in its third year of bringing crucial relief to Kalamazoo’s smallest businesses will offer two additional rounds in 2022. The Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grants (KMEG) program provides grants of $5,000 to eligible microbusinesses within the city limits. The grants are a partnership between the City of Kalamazoo and United…

Read More

Heirloom Arts: Building More Than a Business

When Tempest Anderson co-founded Heirloom Arts, LLC, in 2018, they couldn’t have anticipated the challenges they would face in the business’ first year. But two years after the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the small business community, the non-binary owned tattoo shop has found its niche, and is thriving. Founded on a desire to build…

Read More

Application assistance available for KMEG Grants

Eligible entrepreneurs can now tap free, in-person assistance to apply for grants aimed at supporting Kalamazoo’s smallest businesses. The Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grants (KMEG) program provides Egrants of $5,000 to eligible microbusinesses within the city limits. The grants are a partnership between the City of Kalamazoo and United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region,…

Read More

Micro-Enterprise Grants Buoy 100 Small Businesses

A grant program unveiled last month will bring $500,000 in relief to 100 Kalamazoo microbusinesses dealing with the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the businesses will receive $5,000 through the Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grants (KMEG) program, a partnership between the City of Kalamazoo and United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region.…

Read More