PROVIDENCE – Sixteen Rhode Island small businesses and nonprofits were awarded a combined $80,000 under Social Enterprise Greenhouse’s new Microgrant Fund, the organization announced on Monday.
The funds of up to $5,000 apiece will help recipients apply the skills learned from SEG’s incubator and accelerator training programs with money to grow their ventures and ideas. The initial grant fund was created through a private donation earlier this year, and fulfills an oft-discussed need among SEG program participants for access to capital, the release stated.
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“Over the years, we have consistently heard from our community of entrepreneurs and ventures that access to early stage capital is a challenge and that small amounts of grant funding can make a significant difference in helping impact ventures launch and grow,” Kelly Ramirez, CEO of Social Enterprise Greenhouse said in a statement. “We are very well positioned to make strategic decisions around early stage philanthropic investments because we get to know the entrepreneurs and their ventures as they participate in and graduate from our programs.”
Ramirez also said SEG will continue to seek funding for its microgrant program, with a second round of grants to be awarded later this year.
Recipients represent nearly 25% of the state’s cities and towns with business and nonprofit ideas ranging from peer mental health advocacy to sea kelp for farm and garden soil.
Grant recipients are:
- 3b Thrift Shop Store in Central Falls
- Break Through Waves in Providence
- Conexion Latino Newport
- Ends+Stems in East Providence
- Gather Together United as 1 in Providence
- Giving Beyond the Box LLC in South Kingstown
- Hope Scholars Initiative in Providence
- Legacy Home Improvement LLC in Woonsocket
- LUNA Community Care in Pawtucket
- Omena, Inc. in Providence
- Rhody Wild Sea Gardens in Narragansett
- Taylor Health Enterprises/Lotus Noire Health in East Providence
- Thrive Outside in Bristol
- Urban Perinatal Education Center in Providence
- RI Women in the Trades in Providence
- Roots2Empower in Providence
Grant recipients must have completed one of SEG’s incubator or accelerator training programs in the last two years to receive funding. For more information or to apply for the next round of grants, visit https://segreenhouse.org/loan-fund-microgrant-fund/#micrograntfund.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
