South Bend Mayor Peter Buttigieg, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Wells Fargo will celebrate a 2018 Outstanding Achievement CommunityWINS® grant award on Tuesday, October 2 at 10:00 a.m. at the West Side Small Business Resource Center.
An award in the amount of $50,000 will be presented to the Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc. for its work to fund a minority and women contractor training program. The grant funds will be used to create and operate a year-long program of training and certification for minority and women contractors. The program identifies emerging minority- and women-owned contracting businesses and offers low-cost training and certification opportunities in two training cohorts. The award is part of a nationwide CommunityWINS® program made possible by a grant in collaboration by USCM and the Wells Fargo Foundation.
“We’re excited about the expanded capacity that this program will add to the pool of minority-and-women-owned contractors operating in South Bend,” said Mayor Pete Buttigieg. “Increasing Diversity and Inclusion is a part of the City’s mission statement: ‘We deliver services that empower everyone to thrive.’ This program represents a fantastic new opportunity to offer training and certification to up-and-coming businesses and strengthen the landscape of small businesses here in South Bend.”
Grant funds will create and operate a first year of a training and certification program for minority and women contractors. Training and classes will provide information on business planning, contract law, insurance and bonding, lead certification, project cash flow, and other topics designed to equip small business contractors. Eligible participants must be from a minority-and-women-owned business with a 51% ownership in a construction business. This program will also provide access to and funding for required training and certifications, including MBE/WBE state certification.
“The CommunityWINS award was granted to six cities nationally in 2018. We are very pleased that the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Wells Fargo Foundation have recognized the commitment and partnership that has been created with the City of South Bend and the Near Northwest Neighborhood, along with Project Impact, to focus on a training and certification gap that exists for minority small contracting businesses,” said Kathy Schuth, Executive Director of Near Northwest Neighborhood. “We want every aspect of community revitalization to be inclusive.”
“The Conference and Wells Fargo share similar values focused on helping communities across the country succeed and the 2018 CommunityWINS® grant program is an opportunity to honor productive neighborhood revitalization efforts that are making a difference,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “We appreciate Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation for their support of the CommunityWINS® program, which also highlights the leadership of mayors and city governments.”
“Wells Fargo is pleased to team with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to support neighborhood revitalization efforts,” said Business Banking Manager Andrew Veenstra. “The work being done by Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc. to fund a minority and women contractor training program, embodies the spirit of what our CommunityWINS® grant program collaboration is all about. We applaud Mayor Buttigieg and Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc. for their vision and passion to empower their communities.”
Who: Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc. Executive Director Kathy Schuth, U.S. Conference of Mayors, Wells Fargo
What: CommunityWINS grant presentation
When: Tuesday, October 2 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: West Side Small Business Resource Center, 809 Lincolnway West
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