Activism

East Bay Community Foundation’s New Grants Give Oakland’s Small Businesses a Boost

Among the more than 140 grantees are (randomly selected): Elevate Golf Academy, Healthy Potter, International Coin Laundromat, Kinfolx, Mothers Touch, FlyLady Tee, High Street Hand Car Wash, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Hasta Muerte Coffee Cooperative, RBA Creative, This Is Baba’s House, Soulflow Enterprises, Sirius Creativity, Xin Da Di Salon and Marcus Books.

Published

1 year ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Oakland Small Business Resiliency Fund was created by East Bay Community Foundation to support businesses in neighborhoods that have been historically impacted by disinvestment, violence and systemic inequities, particularly in Downtown Oakland, Eastlake, Fruitvale, and West Oakland. Photo courtesy of East Bay Community Foundation

Special to The Post

The East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF) announced the first round of grantees for the Oakland Small Business Resiliency Fund, an initiative supporting small businesses in Oakland’s most underserved neighborhoods.

The Fund is dedicated to helping businesses overcome the challenges of accessing capital, particularly those in communities historically impacted by disinvestment and community violence.

This year’s grantees represent neighborhoods like Downtown Oakland, East Oakland, Eastlake, Fruitvale, and West Oakland. Many grantee partners have been long-standing pillars in their communities, underscoring their resilience and ongoing impact.

96% of grantees identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color; almost half identify as Black, African American, or African.
Over half of business owners identify as women, transgender, or non-binary/gender variant/non-conforming.
Over half of grantees have been operating in Oakland for 10 or more years, with 20% serving the community for over 20 years.

These businesses are innovative and essential to the cultural and economic fabric of Oakland, EBCF said in their announcement. “We encourage you to learn more about their efforts and support their continued work in creating impactful change for their communities,” the statement says.

As part of EBCF’s commitment to shifting power in funding decision-making structures and sharing power with the community, it co-created and collaboratively implemented the Oakland Small Business Resiliency Fund with a diverse ecosystem of partners who are committed to supporting and uplifting Oakland’s beautiful small business community.