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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2022
New York City – The Reimagine Main Street project today announced Keesha Gibson and Gibson Consulting & Solutions LLC has been awarded a National Backing Black Business cash grant. The small business grants are designed to fuel the growth aspirations and boost the trajectory of 200+ Black women-led small businesses and entrepreneurs across the U.S.
Gibson Consulting & Solutions is a business development and funding solutions company designed with Black entrepreneurs and business owners in mind. It was founded 15 years ago and was re-branded and restructured in 2017. Gibson Consulting is now a network with more than 10 business owners who work together to help BIPOC businesses accelerate and grow. Funding will be used to continue expanding its business services nationwide.
The Backing Black Business Small Business Grants program winners, announced at the culmination of Black History Month, include women entrepreneurs competing in 10 industries including health care, finance, food and beverage, child care, construction, fitness and marketing, hailing from communities across the entire U.S.
"We are excited, grateful, and thankful to be a recipient of this grant award. It is nothing less than an absolute honor to be recognized by Reimagine Main Street and its network of partners. Being selected is a testament that "what we do" is necessary for the small business community. We intend to live up to the level of success this award demands," said Keesha Gibson, Owner of Gibson Consulting & Solutions.
“Black women entrepreneurs are vital contributors to our national and local economies, innovating products and services to meet customer demand and creating jobs,” said Tammy Halevy, Co-lead of Reimagine Main Street. “By providing Black women entrepreneurs with cash grants and other valuable support and resources, we can help these small business leaders in their communities keep thriving as we emerge from the economic effects of the pandemic.”
“This grant program could change the trajectory of some of the 207 amazing businesses led by Black women entrepreneurs across the U.S. who are the largest segment of new and emerging businesses,” said Renee Johnson, Co-lead of Reimagine Main Street. “Our $2 million commitment to Black-owned small businesses is unique in its support for not just women who had businesses prior to the pandemic, but also those bold enough to launch their businesses during COVID-19.”
Reimagine Main Street partnered with a national network of organizations dedicated to serving Black women business owners across the country, with support from Meta, to execute the Backing Black Business program. The $2 million in cash grants will be reinvested back into Main Streets across America and bear fruit for many years to come.
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About Reimagine Main Street
Small businesses and their workers must rebound from the COVID-19 crisis so that communities thrive and the benefits ripple throughout the economy. We are a multi-stakeholder, cross-sector initiative focused on advancing and uplifting innovative solutions via dialogue and data to ensure that MLK Boulevards, Cesar Chavez Ways, Chinatowns and Main Streets are at the center of our COVID-19 recovery. Reimagine Main Street is a project of the Public Private Strategies Institute. Visit www.reimaginemainstreet.org to learn more.