Diverse Erie awards $300K in 'mini grants' to minority-owned small businesses

Diverse Erie awarded more than $300,000 in grants to 29 minority-owned small businesses Friday.

The grant awards, which ranged from $5,000 to $25,000, were part of Diverse Erie's Small Business Mini Grant program, and aim to promote equity and generational change among Erie County's Black, Indigenous and people of color community.

"By investing in our local BIPOC-owned businesses, we are creating meaningful economic development while addressing the equity gap that exists among our BIPOC community," said Diverse Erie Chief Administrative Officer Gary Lee during an awards ceremony Friday at the Erie Center for Arts and Technology, 650 East Ave.

"These funds will open the door to the BIPOC community, particularly our small businesses, by funding transformational projects that will allow them to create a stronger economy for all."

Natasha Tyes, owner of Taste of Love, which serves soul food and seafood at the Flagship City Food Hall in Erie, received a $15,000 grant. She said the grant will help her get a catering van and continue to provide community dinners for needy families during the holidays.

"It feels phenomenal," she told the Erie Times-News. "To have a small business and the support of Diverse Erie is just amazing."

Tyes, a graduate of Mercyhurst University's culinary arts program, was homeless at the age of 17. Now 35, she said her business has made tremendous progress and she hopes to expand into a second location.

Diverse Erie Board Chairperson Ricardo Escajadillo said that type of progress was the goal of the grants.

“Through innovative initiatives that empower the BIPOC community, the grant recipients will bring about changes that will have a lasting impact in Erie County," he said.

The mini grants, which totaled $300,800, were funded by the commission's $3.5 million allotment of American Rescue Plan dollars. Awardees are not be required to provide matching funds.

Eligible recipients had to be a BIPOC small business in Erie County located in a U.S. Housing and Urban Development qualified census tract. They also needed to be located where primary beneficiaries earn less than 60% of the median income in Erie County and where 25% of the primary beneficiaries are below the federal poverty line.

Grant recipients

• A Taste of Love $15,000

• Barb’s Corner $5,000

• Barb’s Family Daycare $15,000

• C. Barney & Smith Memorial $10,000

• Crockett Rentals LLC $25,000

• Dapper Don’s Styling Lounge $5,000

• Dinner is Served by Lisa $15,000

• Diverse Hands Daycare $15,000

• Divinely Crown’d LLC $5,000

• FitKing Co. $5,000

• Handled with Care Childcare $20,000

• Hill Top Mart LLC $5,000

• Hooks Catfish Kitchen $15,000

• Lake Erie Woodworks $5,800

• Manus Enterprises $25,000

• Materialistic Boutique $5,000

• Mompreneur Renovations LLC $5,000

• Moore’s Painting & Services $5,000

• Photos by Dai $5,000

• Premier Manufacturing LLC $10,000

• Priority Care Unlimited $10,000

• Smoke n Barbeque $5,000

• Stacie Brown $7,500

• Tender Loving Care Place LLC $5,000

• Triple D’s Tasty Grill $15,000

• True Sports LLC $5,000

• Ty’s Healthy Healers $15,000

• WHM Working Capitol $7,500

• Wonderful Chippers Food Group $15,000

Erie woman starts Taste of Love: Erie woman, once homeless, turns passion for cooking into degree, place in Erie's Food Hall

Diverse Erie launches grant program: DEI Commission launches small business grant, releases Generational Impact grant funds

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Diverse Erie awards $300K to minority-owned small businesses