OneABQ Fund Black Investment Fund

ALBUQUERQUE — One million dollars in grant funding has been made available through

the One Albuquerque Fund to support Albuquerque Black-owned businesses and organizations

that work within the Black community.

Applications for the Black Community Investment Fund are now open to Black-owned

businesses and nonprofits serving Black communities who are seeking funds to support

necessary expenses and resources to help organizations grow their businesses or services.

"The Black Community Investment Fund is coming at a pivotal time when so many businesses

and nonprofits have been affected by the pandemic and are struggling to keep their doors open,” said One Albuquerque Board Chair Charles Ashley III. “We are thrilled to get this off the ground and ready to support Black-owned organizations that are part of Albuquerque’s economic backbone and are making a difference in our community."

“The City of Albuquerque is grateful to Charles Ashley III, Nicole Bedford, and the entire Black Community Investment Fund steering committee for their leadership,” said Mayor Keller. “Creating a stronger, more just Albuquerque means investing in communities that have long been denied equal access to financing and opportunity.”

Businesses seeking funding can apply for up to $50,000 for necessary expenses including items

such as rent, mortgage payments, utilities, equipment lease payments and payroll. Nonprofit

organizations can qualify for up to $20,000 to support services rendered as vital to

Albuquerque’s Black community. Nonprofits must be community-based organizations

and the principal place of business must be located within Albuquerque's city limits.

Applications are due no later than July 19, 2021, at 5 p.m.

More information and applications for the Black Community Investment Fund can be found on

the One Albuquerque Fund website at https://onealbuquerque.org/black-investment/.

The Black Community Investment Fund was created to make direct investments to support local Black businesses and organizations and create opportunities for youth, paying dividends in the form of new jobs, stronger communities, and a better economy for everyone in the city. A steering committee comprised of business and civic leaders from the Albuquerque Black community led a process with the wider public to design a framework, criteria, and objectives to direct the $1 million invested by the City of Albuquerque most effectively create a positive impact for the city’s Black community.

The OneABQ Fund, existing as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, supports five crucial missions

aligned with many of the City of Albuquerque's priorities: workforce support and training, youth

opportunity and programs, public service support and recruitment, Black community investment,

and housing and homelessness. Learn more at https://www.onealbuquerque.org/.

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