July 19th 2023.
For the third consecutive year, Heinz is proud to join The LEE Initiative and Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice to contribute an additional $1 million in Black Kitchen Initiative grants for Black food business entrepreneurs. This multi-year partnership, which began in 2020, has already provided necessary financial assistance amounting to a total of $3 million.
According to Megan Lang, Director of Brand Communications at HEINZ, the HEINZ Black Kitchen Initiative is a way to both celebrate and preserve the legacy of Black food culture, while breaking down barriers that keep Black voices and cooking out of America’s culinary space.
This year, up to sixty eligible businesses will receive grants of up to $25,000. Understandably, Black businesses often have difficulty accessing new capital and financing to promote long-term growth and success; this initiative is intended to combat that.
Lindsey Ofcacek, co-founder and executive director of The LEE Initiative, is excited about the opportunity to deploy resources to these incredible Black entrepreneurs. She is grateful that the partnership between HEINZ and SRRJ is able to provide a platform to uplift talented business owners across the country, and to empower diverse entrepreneurs in the hospitality space.
Given the success and growth of past grant recipients, it is clear that this initiative is making a tangible difference. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to make the industry more equitable. HEINZ, The LEE Initiative, and SRRJ are eager to play a part in doing just that.
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