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To steer disadvantaged communities toward a more equitable future, Wells Fargo and Bishop T.D. Jakes are taking action.
Apr 27, 2023
Julian Huff is investing in property for the greater good.
Apr 10, 2023
After working for the late Michael Jackson, Faheem Muhammad and Michael Amir’s acquired knowledge over the years served as a launching pad to help underserved communities. “Mr. Jackson was always mission-driven. Everything he did had a purpose, which was to do what he could to make the world a better place,” Amir told AfroTech in an email interview. In the past, Muhammad worked for Jackson as head of security and Amir worked as the icon’s chief of staff. Now, the duo has found their contribution to fostering a more improved society by forging a business partnership alongside other close friends to create Oasis, a real estate investment , and development company. Oasis has a focus on the South Side of Chicago, as they saw a clear pathway to revisit the demographics they often saw in dire need during their upbringing.
Dec 7, 2022
NBA veteran referee Derek Richardson is turning his attention toward another calling to enlighten underserved children.
Oct 26, 2022
Goalsetter is helping to bring financial literacy to the sports world in its latest partnership. The fintech platform has joined TeamSnap — a leading sports team management app — to support an increase of underserved youth having equal access to sport participation, according to a press release shared with AfroTech. The goal at hand is for the young athletes to have both physical and financial well-being. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Goalsetter (@goalsetterco)
Aug 12, 2022
To empower communities of color, Apple has committed $25 million to credit unions and financial institutions, which it will deploy through CNote, a women-led impact investment platform. CNote is thrilled to work with @Apple to expand access to capital in communities of color across the country! https://t.co/VfJS54uUG6 pic.twitter.com/WcvJlI5fF6 — CNote (@goCNote) May 5, 2022
May 5, 2022
Fayetteville State University undergraduate students will now receive more support thanks to new funding. According to a press release sent to AfroTech, a $2.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, awarded to Professor James E. Raynor Jr., will be given to the Historically Black University and University (HBCU).
Apr 28, 2022
Amazon aims to help high school students soar to greater heights through a new program that will award $10 million in scholarships. The program is designed to equip students from underserved communities with the opportunity to go on to pursue post-secondary education and study computer science. The Amazon Future Engineer program will provide 250 students with $40,000 each while also offering them a paid internship at the e-commerce giant. The childhood-to-career initiative was created to encourage millions of students across several underserved communities with the chance to build life-changing skills through careers in computer science. In the latest investment, Amazon is doubling its previous commitment. S ince the program’s inception in 2019, it has awarded $22 million in scholarships to 550 students across the world.
Apr 18, 2022
More communities will have a pathway towards financial freedom. According to a press release, Wells Fargo and Operation HOPE, Inc. have partnered to support underserved households. Soon community members will have access to the HOPE Inside program which will provide access to financial coaches, financial education workshops, and free personal coaching. The resources will empower communities along their financial journey. “We know from our outreach and work with national and community stakeholders that financial education and guidance, and an individual’s sense of inclusion and trust, are all important factors in bringing more people who are unbanked into the formal banking system,” said Darlene Goins, head of Wells Fargo’s Banking Inclusion Initiative, according to a press release. “Working with Operation HOPE is one important way that we can remove barriers to financial inclusion and help empower people with education, resources and tools to manage their money, improve their credit...
Apr 12, 2022
SoLo Funds is a capital marketplace reimaging how traditional lending platforms should operate in communities. Founders Rodney Williams and Travis Holoway created a solution to financially empower underserved communities. The fintech company was launched after witnessing the economic hardships of close peers and family members that arose during an unplanned emergency. In fact, most Americans can not afford a $1,000 surprise expense, according to a new survey. For cash-strapped Americans who do not have aid from family members or access to financial solutions, the founders pondered, “Where can they go for assistance?” This question served as the premise for SoLo Funds’ inception in 2015. The company prides itself in offering equitable solutions to build minority communities. Now through the company’s mobile app, individuals looking to acquire emergency capital can acquire a loan in less than 30 minutes. “For us, this is huge. I think about what the community bank is supposed to do...
Dec 2, 2021
Oscar-winning actress Regina King is lending a big hand to improve financial literacy in underserved communities. According to a press release announcement, the Oscar winner is partnering with banking giant Wells Fargo to promote financial literacy. King is also featured in their latest campaign “Real Life Ready,” which promotes Wells Fargo’s Active Cash Visa card and rewards system that suits the consumer’s daily needs. “We are thrilled to be working with Regina King, whose own authenticity is showcased in our campaign, as she demonstrates through her genuine life experiences how Active Cash is a straightforward credit card that makes it easy to earn 2% cash rewards on purchases,” Krista Phillips, Wells Fargo’s head of branded cards and marketing, said in a press statement. “I was drawn to Wells Fargo given the bank’s continued commitment to underserved communities,” King said in the same press statement. She is also the first major face to partner with the banking giant. As an...
Sep 30, 2021
Some executives at Arlington, Virginia-based Ingenious Financial are planning to raise $10 billion to provide more tech to unbanked and underserved communities. Ingenious Financial Founder Darnell Parker and COO Derek Taylor are leading this investment, the company shared in a press release. The pair decided to raise this capital after finding that many Black residents across the nation still don’t have access to computer tech in their homes. This technology gap leads to more financial insecurity, so Parker and Taylor are raising $10 billion through the private Federal Reserve corporation emergency lending program to serve unbanked and underbanked communities. “All relevant policy narratives point towards an inclusive environment,” said Taylor in a press release. “But you cannot have an inclusive environment without African American controlled businesses and ownership.” Once they’ve raised the funds, Parker and Taylor plan to disperse the capital across four main initiatives: $4...
Apr 6, 2021
Major corporations are beginning to launch more initiatives geared toward upskilling underserved and overlooked workers in America. The latest to join the movement is SoftBank Group International, who’s backing data science market leader Correlation One’s newest initiative. Today Correlation One announced that SoftBank is supporting their company’s Data Science for All / Empowerment (DS4A / Empowerment) program, a new ambitious effort designed to help prepare job-seekers from underserved communities to pursue data science careers. The program was designed to directly address the talent and equity gaps that exist in STEM fields, which have been historically closed off for many minority groups. This snowball gatekeeping-effect has lead to significant underrepresentation of women and non-white individuals in science, but Correlation One is now looking to reverse that. DS4A / Empowerment’s goal is to train at least 10,000 people from these underrepresented communities, prioritizing...
Feb 25, 2021
NBA legend, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Michael Jordan is giving back in a big way to further help his hometown of Wilmington, NC improve its healthcare system. According to a press release, Jordan has donated a generous $10 million to regional healthcare system Novant Health to aid in building two new medical clinics set to open in early 2022. The purpose of these clinics will be to serve both uninsured or underinsured residents of New Hanover County. Novant Health and Jordan have previously partnered to open two Michael Jordan Family Clinics in Charlotte, NC with a mission to bring comprehensive primary care to the area’s most vulnerable communities, a press release shares. Now these additional medical clinics will help Novant Health bring its integrated care model to other rural and rural-adjacent communities in Jordan’s hometown. “I am very proud to once again partner with Novant Health to expand the Family Clinic model to bring better access to critical medical services in...
Feb 16, 2021
Bridging the digital divide amongst underserved communities is essential to giving everyone in the nation equal access to critical communications networks. According to Verizon’s latest initiative, the telecommunications company has created a way to make reliable, high-speed internet more accessible to those in underserved communities who meet financial assistance requirements through Verizon Fios Forward. A news release shares the Fios Forward program was first offered to new customers back in April 2020, and generates much faster and more equipped internet services, unlike traditional home Internet assistance programs. It also offers eligible customers a discounted rate for faster internet service. The goal of the program is to rid customers of unreliable internet providers who limit their access to quality home internet, which often lacks speed and the capacity to handle more than one user’s demands. This has become an increased issue over the last year due to many citizens...
Jan 6, 2021