As the two-year Comcast RISE program comes to
its close, Comcast celebrates having provided over $110 million in
monetary, marketing, and technology grants to strengthen and
empower small businesses owned by people of color and women
An interactive map of recipients the program
has helped nationwide launched this month, encouraging consumers to
patronize small businesses from the program
Comcast Corporation announced today that Comcast RISE, an
initiative created in 2020 to help strengthen and empower small
businesses hard hit by COVID-19, has met its goal of supporting
13,000 small businesses nationwide by the program’s close at the
end of 2022.
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Comcast RISE is one of several programs that Comcast has
overseen as part of Project UP that is aimed at closing the digital
divide and achieving digital equity. With the program’s commitment
now fulfilled, Comcast looks forward to introducing a new phase of
Comcast RISE in 2023, which will continue the company’s efforts and
help an even broader range of small businesses, while continuing to
focus on diversity, inclusion, and community investment.
To continue highlighting program recipients, Comcast has
partnered with Philadelphia-area tech education and training
nonprofit Hopeworks to develop and release an interactive map to
encourage consumers to patronize Comcast RISE small businesses in
their communities.
U.S. small businesses were particularly hard hit by the
pandemic, which is why Comcast RISE was launched in 2020. A study
from the National Bureau of Economic Research cited that
Black-owned small businesses were hardest hit, suffering the
steepest decline (41 percent), followed by Hispanic and Asian
American-owned small businesses. In addition, according to a study
by the National Association of Women Business Owners, women-owned
businesses have been growing at only half the rate of those run by
men, namely because women struggle to access capital and other
resources to help them succeed.
Comcast RISE was designed to meet that moment, and today’s
announcement shows that goal was met. In total, Comcast RISE has
provided over $110 million in monetary, marketing, and technology
grants to 13,000 small businesses owned by women and people of
color – including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian Americans,
among others.
“We are incredibly proud of the work that the Comcast RISE team
has done over its two-year term to help the small businesses we’ve
worked with to not only survive, but also to thrive,” said
Teresa Ward-Maupin, Senior Vice President, Digital and Customer
Experience, Comcast Business. “We recognize that small
businesses are the backbone of our economy and look forward to
taking our learnings from this program as we find new ways to
further empower and strengthen even more small businesses and
entrepreneurs at the heart of our local communities. Comcast will
be continuing its efforts to positively impact small businesses in
2023. We have seen that many small businesses are shifting from
pandemic recovery to long-term growth, so it is only natural for
the program to evolve. The next evolution of the program will focus
on helping businesses of all types accelerate growth. Its offerings
will include complimentary marketing, technology, financial grants,
business consulting, entrepreneurship training, and other
services.”
"Comcast RISE has helped me and my business thrive in so many
ways. I received the $10,000 grant though the Investment Fund,
which provided us with cash to use wherever our needs were,” said
Judi Townsend, Owner and CEO of Mannequin Madness in Oakland,
CA. “This grant allowed me to maintain payroll and supported my
evolving business endeavors, such as the expansion of my mannequin
business, which now offers a virtual and in-person headpiece
workshop."
Comcast recently announced its final round of Comcast RISE
recipients, which includes over 2,800 small businesses owned by
people of color and women, that will receive a TV campaign,
production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv
or computer equipment, Internet, voice and cybersecurity from
Comcast Business. In addition, as part of round four of the Comcast
RISE Investment Fund, 500 more small businesses in Chicago, Miami,
Oakland, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. will each receive $10,000
grants, bringing the total Comcast RISE Investment Fund recipients
to 2,100 and the total dollar amount distributed to $21 million.
For more information and for a full list of recipients, visit
www.ComcastRISE.com.
Additional details about Comcast RISE in 2023 will be
forthcoming. For more information on Comcast’s continuing programs
and partnerships to advance economic mobility and open doors for
the next generation of entrepreneurs, visit Project UP.
About Comcast
Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and
technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We
are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming
with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and
Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our
Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and
stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal
Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios,
the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks,
Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky
Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and
Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit
www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
About Comcast Business
Comcast Business offers a suite of Connectivity, Communications,
Networking, Cybersecurity, Wireless, and Managed Solutions to help
organizations of different sizes prepare for what’s next. Powered
by the nation’s largest Gig-speed broadband network, and backed by
24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is the nation’s largest
cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and one of the
leading service providers to the Enterprise market. Comcast
Business has been consistently recognized by industry analysts and
associations as a leader and innovator, and one of the fastest
growing providers of Ethernet services. For more information, call
866-429-3085. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other
social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social.
About Effectv
Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps
local, regional, and national advertisers use the best of digital
with the power of TV to grow their business. It provides
multi-screen marketing solutions to make advertising campaigns more
effective and easier to execute. Headquartered in New York with
offices throughout the country, Effectv has a presence in 66
markets with nearly 35 million owned and represented subscribers.
For more information, visit www.effectv.com.
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Media William Bell 347-730-7758
William_Bell2@comcast.com
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