Founders First CDC, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers expansion in diverse founder-led, revenue-generating businesses, announced the winners of its Kitty Fund Grant on Thursday, May 11, 2023 during a virtual press conference. More than 2,700 businesses applied for the grant and 25 recipients were selected, with women business owners receiving $1,000 each in cash. The grant recipients were selected from throughout country, including California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas, serving a variety of industries – from energy consulting and creative strategy and graphic design to virtual bookkeeping, cleaning services, bakeries, eco-friendly tableware and more.

The recipients are as follows:
Viridis Consulting – California – http://www.viridis-consulting.com
Lini Victoria LLC – California – http://www. linivictoria.com
Valley Transport First Call Service – California – http://www.valleytransportps.com
Vizard Marketing & PR LLC – California – http://www.vizardpr.com
Pagedip – Colorado – http://www.pagedip.com
Book to Balance LLC – Colorado – http://www.booktobalance.com/
Lindsey Granger Productions – Colorado – http://www.lindseygranger.com/producing-work/
Acsential Group Inc – Georgia – http://www.acsential.com
Howard Intervention Center – Illinois – http://www.HowardInterventionCenter.org
A Touch of Classical Plus, Inc. – Illinois – http://www.atouchofclassicalplus.duetpartner.com
Quetzal Cleaning Service – Illinois – http://www.quetzalcleaning.com
Piece O Cake LLC – Maryland – http://www.pieceocakellc.com/
Velasquez Tax & Business Services, LLC – Massachusetts – http://www.VELASQUEZTAXBIZSVCS.COM
The LinC – Minnesota – N/A
Strands of Faith, LLC – Mississippi – http://www.strandsoffaith.com
Chic Sugars – New Jersey – http://www.chicsugars.com
HANDLE MY BOOKS – New York – http://www.Handlemybooks.net
Rotterdam Lot Cleaners LLC – New York – http://www.RotterdamLotCleaners.com
Dtocs LLC – Oregon – http://www.dtocs.com
Human Resources Managers on the Move LLC – Pennsylvania – http://www.hrmomllc.com
Testlify – Pennsylvania – http://www.testlify.com
Boxplot Analytics – Pennsylvania – http://www.boxplotanalytics.com/
The Clever Site – Texas – http://www.thecleversite.com
Manifest Your Purpose – Texas – http://www.manifestyourpurpose.co
CoffeeStix – Texas – http://www.ilovecoffeestix.com

The Kitty Fund makes small investments in “Mompreneurs” – moms who are running employer-based small businesses with two or more employees – and was created in honor of Mother’s Day and Founder’s First CEO Kim Folsom’s late mother, Catherine “Kitty” Abrams Tadlock Webster. The purpose of the fund is to create opportunities for mothers to enhance, grow and sustain their businesses while also maintaining their family lives.

“Though women-led businesses help drive our economy forward and create jobs, women are less likely to be approved for small business loans than men, unfortunately,” said Shaylon Scott, executive director, Founders First CDC. “The Kitty Fund is specifically designed to give mothers the boost they need to start or improve their businesses.”

“I am incredibly grateful for the grant that I received, as it allowed me to focus on the crucial aspect of delegation. With the grant, I invested in marketing, specifically an email campaign strategy, which I was able to implement due to the following I had already built up on social media. Building an email list was the first step, which led me to realize the need for a robust CRM system that could handle email campaigns effectively. I used the grant funds to develop this system and hired someone to create consistent and engaging emails that would continuously interact with my potential and current clients,” said Denise Fernander, Founder, Mompreneur Success Academy. “Thanks to the grant, I was able to take my marketing strategy to the next level and reach a wider audience.”

Applications opened on March 21, 2023, and closed on April 17, 2023. Eligibility requirements for the microgrant included: businesses must be led by a mother who is the CEO, President or business owner; companies under $5 million in annual revenue with two or more employees qualify. Applications required a short video describing the company, who it serves and why that business should be awarded the grant.

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About Founders First CDC
Founders First CDC is a not-for-profit 501c3 that was founded in 2015 and has received significant support from the regional community reinvestment banks to empower diverse founder-led, revenue-generating small businesses through three primary programs: (1) Founders Challenge; (2) Founders Bootcamp; and (3) Founders FastPath. By building recurring revenues, tech-enablement, and essential solution focus, Founders First serves as a catalyst for positive change to entrepreneurs of color and female founders to become leading employers in their communities. http://www.foundersfirstcdc.org