Today, Comcast announced it will award an additional $1 million in grants to 100 small businesses owned by women and people of color, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian American owners, among others, bringing the total to $2 million in Oakland to date. The application window will run from October 3 -16, 2022. Oakland was one of five cities selected to be awarded $10,000 grants to 100 local businesses. The Comcast RISE Investment Fund has awarded $21 million nationwide to date.
Comcast RISE – which stands for Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment – has awarded marketing and technology services to over 500 businesses in California so far; 160 of which are Oakland-based. In addition to the Investment Fund, businesses throughout California can apply for marketing and technology services.
Through RISE, Comcast will support 13,000 small businesses, owned by people of color and women, with monetary grants; a TV campaign, production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv; or computer equipment, internet, voice or cybersecurity from Comcast Business by the end of 2022.
“My business was deeply impacted by the pandemic. However, the technology makeover and the $10,000 grant from the Comcast RISE have helped me not only to keep my business afloat but to thrive,” said Tamika Miller, Owner of Cuticles Nails Spa in Oakland and two-time RISE recipient.
“When we launched Comcast RISE, we knew a profound need existed in many of the communities we serve,” said John Gauder, Regional Senior Vice President of Comcast California. “We have now seen firsthand how the program’s marketing and technology resources benefit small business owners who continue to work hard and rise above 2020’s impact. Today, with Oakland receiving additional funding as a Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant city, we are excited to see how this infusion of funding will continue to propel businesses to thrive. We know the impacts will be fruitful and far reaching, especially with this year’s program expansion for women-owned businesses.”
Comcast RISE was formed in late 2020 to give small businesses owned by people of color, from bakeries and barber shops to childcare centers and cleaning services, the grants needed to not just survive, but thrive. The more than 9,500 recipients are from 704 cities across 37 states. In November 2021, Comcast RISE announced a major expansion to all women-owned businesses nationwide.
Last year, Comcast unveiled the RISE Business Directory for laptops and mobile phones, highlighting California small, women and diverse-owned businesses that have received grants, marketing and technology services from the Comcast RISE program. Comcast’s RISE business directory is a user-friendly digital map that collates and presents key information about local businesses throughout Northern and Central California who have benefited from the Comcast RISE program. This interactive directory makes it easy to support California’s small businesses owned by people of color that have been hardest hit during the pandemic.
All eligible applicants will receive a monthly Comcast RISE newsletter with educational content, and all small business owners can visit the Comcast RISE destination on the X1 platform featuring aggregated small business news, tips, insights, and more. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the X1 voice remote.
Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.
More information and the applications to apply (starting October 3rd) for either the grant program or marketing and technology services are available at www.ComcastRISE.com.
