WELCOME
WELCOME BACK. A NEW GRANT FUND IS HELPING MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES DURING THE PANDEMIC
AND APPLICATIONS WILL BE
ACCEPTED STARTING TOMORROW.
DONNA DEBERRY, PRESIDENT OF
CENTRAL SAN DIEGO BLACK CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE JOINS US NOW TO
SHARE HOW YOU CAN HELP. WELCOME
.GOOD MORNING TO YOU, DONNA.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
SO THE GOAL IS A MILLION
DOLLARS TO HELP BLACK OWNED
BUSINESSES. SO HOW IS THE FUND
RAISING GOING? FUND RAISING IS
GOING EXTREMELY WELL AND WE
REALLY HAVEN'T EVEN KICKED IT
OFF. WE'LL KICK IT OFF
TOMORROW. BUT I JUST CAN'T TELL
YOU THAT OVERWHELMING RESPONSE
FROM BUSINESSES AND JUST
PRIVATE DONORS. THEY'RE JUST
WAITING. AND WE'VE ALREADY
HEARD FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT
BUSINESSES THAT SAID WE ARE
WILLING AND WANTING TO DONATE
BECAUSE THIS IS CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS
A WHOLE. SO BLACK OWNED
BUSINESSES WERE AFFECTED BY
CULVERT 19. WHAT ARE YOU
HEARING FROM THE BUSINESS
OWNERS BECAUSE THERE'S
THOUSANDS OF THEM IN SAN DIEGO
COUNTY? WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S
FUNNY WHEN KOLBERT, 19, BURST
INTO OUR COMMUNITY, BLACK OWNED
BUSINESSES WERE HIT FASTER AND
HARDER THAN ANY OTHER BUSINESS
.AND YOU THINK ABOUT THAT
ALONG WITH A LOT OF THE CIVIL
UNREST AND RACIAL INJUSTICES
THAT HAPPEN. IT'S BEEN A CRISIS
ON TYPE OF CRISIS AND BLACK
BUSINESSES ARE AT THE CENTER OF
ALL OF THESE EVENTS AND HAVE
ENDURED DISPROPORTIONATE
DEVASTATING IMPACTS FOR EACH
ONE OF THESE EVENTS. AND SO
IT'S REALLY CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE
BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES WORD
NATIONALLY WERE DENIED OVER 95
PERCENT WERE DENIED A FEDERAL
PAYCHECK PAYCHECK FOR
PROTECTION PROGRAM AND
DISPROPORTIONATELY OVERLOOKED
FOR CITY GRANTS AND LOANS. AND
SO THEY ARE HURTING DESPERATELY
.AND WHAT THEY'RE WORRIED
ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT THEY MAY
NOT BE ABLE TO REOPEN AND HOW
THIS GENERATIONAL HOW THIS
IMPACTS THE COMMUNITY
GENERATIONALLY YET ON IT. SO
THESE ARE BLACK OWNED
BUSINESSES WITHIN THE COUNTY,
NOT JUST THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO
.HOW CAN PEOPLE APPLY IF
THEY'RE WATCHING US THIS
MORNING? WHAT DO THEY NEED TO
KNOW? WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW IS
THAT TO MORROW WE WILL BE
OPENING THE PORT AND ALL THEY
NEED TO DO TODAY IF THEY GO TO
SD BLACK CHAMBER DOT ORG THEY
ACTUALLY CAN PUT THEIR
APPLICATION THEY CAN PUT THEIR
EMAIL IN AND WE HAVE A PORT
SETUP WHERE TOMORROW MORNING IT
WILL OPEN UP AND THEY WILL
RECEIVE AN EMAIL LETTING THEM
KNOW THAT THEY CAN APPLY
IMMEDIATELY. THIS APPLICATION
PROCESS IS A REALLY SEAMLESS.
WE'VE PARTNERED WITH SAN DIEGO
GRANT MAKERS WHO IS OUR FISCAL
AGENT TO TO HELP US THROUGH
THIS PROCESS. AND IT IS WE'RE
LOOKING AT ALL BUSINESSES ALL
BLACK BUSINESSES SPECIFICALLY
FOCUSED AND THE DISADVANTAGE
AREAS. SO I KNOW YOUR GOAL IS
ABOUT A MILLION BUT EVERY TIME
NOT ABOUT A MILLION A MILLION
BUT EVERY TIME WE ASK
THE COMMUNITY OF SAN DIEGO TO
STEP FORWARD. BOY, DO WE COME
FORWARD. DO YOU EXPECT THAT
NUMBER TO GO EVEN HIGHER AND
HOW WILL YOU DECIDE WHO WILL
RECEIVE THE GRANTS?
THE CRITERIA IS FOR
THE APPLICATIONS. SO WE THANK
YOU FOR ASKING THAT. WE HAVE A
COMMITTEE A GRANT COMMITTEE
THAT IS COMPRISED OF
BUSINESSES, BLACK BUSINESS
OWNERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS
THAT WILL BE REVIEWING
THE APPLICATIONS ALONG WITH
GRANT MAKERS AND WE HAVE
DIFFERENT TIERS AND LEVELS. SO
WE'RE LOOKING AT BUSINESSES
THAT HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR
A YEAR. OUR CRITERIA IS THAT
YOU PROVIDE US WITH INFORMATION
SHOWING THAT YOU HAVE A
BUSINESS LICENSE AND NOT JUST
THAT WE WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU
ARE COMMITTED TO GROWING YOUR
BUSINESS AND SUSTAINING YOUR
BUSINESS. SO WE'RE ALSO GOING
TO BE ASKING FOR A BUSINESS
PLAN. PLEASE SHARE WITH US YOUR
BUSINESS PLAN BECAUSE THIS IS
AROUND LONGEVITY OF A BUSINESS
AND GROWTH OF BUSINESSES AND
SUSTAINING OUR BUSINESSES.
DONNA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US THIS MORNING GIVING
US THAT INFORMATION. WE'RE
GOING TO POST ALL OF THIS ON
OUR WEB SITE CBSA DOT COM.
DONNA DEBERRY, CENTRAL SAN
DIEGO BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
PLEASE COME BACK AND LET US
KNOW HOW THINGS ARE GOING
BECAUSE WE DO WANT TO FOLLOW
UP. WE ABSOLUTELY WILL. AND
THE LAST I JUST WANT TO SAY IS
PLEASE DONATE THIS BLACK
BUSINESSES CONTRIBUTE TO
THE VIBRANT ECONOMIC AND
CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF SAN
DIEGO. AND WE ARE SO EXCITED
ABOUT REOPEN PROPERLY OF
COURSE. BUT WE CERTAINLY WANT
TO BE A PART OF THIS VIBRANT
OPENING AND IT IS CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T LOSE
OUR BLACK BUSINESSES AND OUR
BLACK COMMUNITY. ABSOLUTELY.
FOR ANYONE WHO MISSED IT. ONE
LAST TIME WHERE CAN THEY GO TO
DONATE? GO TO SD BLACK CHAMBER
AT SAN DIEGO BLACK CHAMBER DOT
ORG. DUSTY BLACK