For nearly three years, basketball star Jrue Holiday, and his wife, Lauren, have been consistently pouring into Black entrepreneurs.

Jrue and Lauren Holiday have announced the third round of funding for Black-owned businesses that totals $1 million in a press release. It is a continuation of NBA Champion Jrue Holiday’s pledge during the 2019-2020 season to donate a portion of his salary to the JLH Social Impact Fund. As previously reported by AfroTech, the JLH Social Impact Fund was created by the couple to serve as support for underrepresented communities not only through monetary resources but mentorship and other services that are needed to scale a business. “We are so excited to announce our third round of grant funding to these very deserving Black-owned businesses and nonprofits, who are helping their communities thrive,” said Jrue and Lauren Holiday in a statement. “Every year we grow our extended JLH family with the hope of shining a light on the need, but also to be an example of how real change occurs when you invest directly in the communities and the people who are underserved.”

Last year, then New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday pledged the remainder of his NBA 2019-2020 salary ($5.3 million) toward his newly-established Social Justice Impact Fund. According to Bleacher Report, the Milwaukee Bucks player is following up on that progress to announce the second round of applications distributing up to $1 million in grants to Black-led nonprofits and Black-owned businesses in select U.S. cities. A press release reports that this time around the focus of the grants from the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Fund (JLH Fund) will be allocated to the Greater Milwaukee, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Los Angeles areas, primarily catering to organizations that focus on having a social impact and creating a more equitable future for marginalized communities. “When we first decided to start this fund, it was at an inflection point of two pandemics – the disproportionate effects that COVID-19 had on the Black community and businesses, and equally as devastating, the murders...