MBN USA Portal

MBN USA

May 18, 2021

Nonprofit Interise offers immediate COVD-19 support for small businesses

The COVID-19 pandemic has left our country’s economy battered. Small businesses across the country are closing at alarming rates with black-owned small businesses closing at two times the rate of others. Support for those businesses can be the difference between a thriving business and one forced to shut its doors forever. That’s where national nonprofit Interise enters the picture.

Interise works to create a more inclusive economy through growth of established small businesses located in low-income communities or businesses owned by people of color. It accomplishes this through innovative programs, research and national partnerships with more than 8,000 small businesses.

Programs developed in response to the pandemic include Interise STRONG and StreetWise Strong. Both are executive education programs designed to help small-business owners get the resources, networks and know-how they need to survive and flourish during the pandemic.

“These small businesses need immediate and effective programs to ensure they have the resources they need to stay afloat, retain employees and focus on recovery,” said Deirdre Coyle, senior director of strategy and external relations, Interise. “Our purposeful research, programs for existing small businesses and national partnerships create an impact at local and statewide levels. The pandemic has severely impacted these businesses and our support is needed now and more than ever.”

Additional Interise programs include Streetwise MBA, a hands-on executive education program for established small-business owners, Accelerate Latinx, designed to support Latinx business owners, Grow My People, built for business owners looking to create/execute a strategic personnel plan, and LEAP, which brings minority business enterprises, anchor institutions and local governments together to explore local procurement opportunities.

About Interise

Launched in 2004, Interise has assisted more than 8,600 small businesses through research, effective programs and national partnerships creating positive impact at local, regional and statewide levels. Please visit www.interise.org for more information.