» Scaling our work serving BIPOC-owned small businesses thanks to Citi Foundation award

We’re excited to announce that we’ve been awarded $500,000 in unrestricted funding by the Citi Foundation to scale our work serving manufacturing companies owned by people of color across the San Francisco Bay Area.

“This funding from the Citi Foundation will be critical in enabling us to serve more companies, deliver greater impact, and harness the power of manufacturing to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusionary economy”, says Janet Lees, SFMade Co-Founder and Acting CEO.

BIPOC-owned businesses have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and, as most manufacturers start recovering and regrowing revenue, we want to better assist and advise minority-owned businesses and their employees, like Rize Up Bakery.

Rize Up recently found their home in North Beach, and we worked with them on hiring their first employees and figuring out their strategy and business model. We will be there to help this small Black-owned bakery inspire young Black entrepreneurs and change the world, one loaf of bread at a time.

Through the generous support of the Citi Foundation, we are ready to serve many more minority-owned manufacturers like Rize Up. We are honored to receive this unrestricted grant funding to continue serving our community and aid in our collective economic recovery.

Learn more about all 50 organizations awarded on the Citi Foundation blog.