This funding model could bring more equity to the city's diversity of entrepreneurs, writes Melina Harris, analyst and capital access coordinator for Philadelphia Anchors for Growth and Equity. The program's Hurdle Fund has shown early success.
They can already determine elections and wield social media for change. Soon these younger generations will also control trillions of dollars. But they don’t write checks like their grandparents did.
$14.2 Million Renovation in Store For Iconic Seaway Bank in Chicago
Seaway Bank
Formerly part of Chicago’s largest Black bank, Seaway Bank is getting a facelift on the city’s South Side.
Self-Help Federal Credit Union, which Seaway is now a division of, reports the new look will come through a $14.2 million renovation of Seaway’s historic headquarters on 87th Street. In its prime, Seaway was the largest bank in the Midwest. Its history dates back to the 1960s as it countered lending on the South Side in the Chatham area.
Self-Help reportedly bought Seaway Bank branches from the State Bank of Texas in 2017. The same year State Bank acquired all of Seaway Bank and Trust after it was closed by banking regulators. For many years, Seaway was recognized on the
It’s the latest in a wave of funds aimed at supporting Black and Hispanic business founders that have emerged in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, which spawned protests and intensified the public debate over racial inequality. P33, a nonprofit group that promotes the Chicago tech industry, launched a $5 million grant fund last week with Verizon. Accenture also announced a program to increase venture funding for tech startups launched by Black founders.
Black and Hispanic founders get a sliver of venture funding, just 2.4 percent nationally and just 1.9 percent in Chicago, said Desiree Vargas Wrigley, who heads up the Tech Rise fund launched by P33 and Verizon. When Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs in Chicago are just starting out, raising so-called friends and family rounds, they receive an average of about $35,000, compared with about $107,000 for all founders.