CLLCTIVLY is helping out one outstanding Black woman entrepreneur by offering her a $2000 monthly grant.
Jamye Wooten, founder of CLLCTIVLY, the Baltimore-based social change organization that mobilizes resources for Black-led organizations, lost his sister to cancer at the age of 53. His sister, Sherri, was a serial entrepreneur and the owner of two pizza delivery stores in West Baltimore.
“I watched her build her businesses from the ground up with little to no funding,” said Wooten. Research conducted by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor found that 61 percent of Black women must self-fund their startup capital. “She was not only committed to being a successful businesswoman, but she was also equally committed to giving back to the community. While we celebrate the resiliency of our community, we also know the grind and stress of entrepreneurship can take you out.”
Wooten secured a commitment from a local donor to provide a monthly donation of $600. He subsequently launched the “We Got Your Back” Campaign. The campaign provides a Black woman entrepreneur a $2000 monthly no-strings-attached grant. This grant can cover her living expenses or finance whatever brings her joy for one year.
Helping out a deserving Black woman entrepreneur
CLLCTIVLY partnered with The WELL (The Women Entrepreneur Leadership Lab) to provide support for the first recipient. The WELL is a Baltimore and Detroit-based community of Black women entrepreneurs. The application was open to the members of The WELL’s Baltimore community. The community received twelve video submissions. CLLCTIVLY assembled a selection committee made up of Black women leaders in Baltimore. This week, Jamye and Nakeia Drummond, founder of the WEL, went Live on Instagram to announce the first winner. Winner Dominiece Clifton is the owner of the Mobile Movement Studio. Dominiece is creating a mobile movement studio that will offer free movement and body-centered approaches to healing trauma and reducing stress. The studio will offer yoga, dance and exercise provided exclusively by instructors of color.
“Often funders invest in projects and programs, but we wanted to develop a fund that invests in people first and fosters a culture of health. I know my sister would be proud,'” said Wooten.
About CCLCTIVLY
Our mission is to end the fragmentation and duplication of programs, to learn from and about each other and to be a resource for the Greater Baltimore community that seeks to find, fund and partner with Black social change organizations. CLLCTIVLY is a place-based social change organization centering on black genius, narrative power, social networks and resource mobilization.
The 2021 Women of Color Achievement Awards recently honored 13 outstanding female entrepreneurs. Learn more about the honorees.
Add Comment