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ACCESSITY AWARDS $10K BETWEEN 12 LATINA-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES THROUGH THE EVA LONGORIA FOUNDATION

Nonprofit microlender Accessity awarded $10 thousand in grants between 12 Latina-owned businesses in Southern California. Each grant ranged from $250 to $1,500 and went to a mix of small local businesses such as a purse retailer, pet store, and salsa company, just to name a few.

The grant funding was made possible through a multi-year grant from the Eva Longoria Foundation to support Spanish-language training events, marketing, and communications outreach to spread the word about the organization’s Spanish-language Academia de Accessity para el Éxito Empresarial (Accessity Academy for Business Success) program among Latina small business owners in the region and provide needed startup or growth capital through microloans.

“Through these grants, 12 Latina-owned businesses will get much-needed capital so their businesses can grow and thrive,” said Accessity CEO Elizabeth Schott. “Even a small amount of grant funding makes a big impact on a small business, and we are grateful to the Eva Longoria Foundation for making it possible to disburse these grants.”

In the annual cohort launched in 2020, Latina entrepreneurs are empowered to launch or formalize their small business through this program presented each fall. Presented entirely in Spanish, the course provides a friendly, accessible environment where approximately 25 Latinas learn together and build their support network to prepare them for business success.

Most grantees are based in San Diego County, except for one who is based in Riverside County. The grantees are all past graduates of the Spanish-language Academia de Accessity para el Éxito Empresarial, a 10-week training course in San Diego, which is also funded and supported by the Eva Longoria Foundation.

2022 Grantees:

Grantees will use the funding for various business purposes, such as marketing, technology support, and to purchase equipment and inventory. The grant supported business owners, such as Guadalupe Vigil, for her business Ruval Party Boutique in San Diego.

“I want to thank the Eva Longoria Foundation and Accessity for this grant,” says Vigil. “I feel so grateful to have the opportunity to grow my business and I plan to buy a flower refrigerator for my gift shop to implement the sale of fresh flowers and increase my sales.”

The Academia de Accessity para el Éxito Empresaria will hold its third session in late August 2022, and aspiring business owners can join the interest list by clicking here.

To coordinate English or Spanish interviews, please contact Karissa Duran at Karissa@gomixte.com or 619-732-0789 ext. 387.

About Accessity

Accessity, formerly Accion San Diego, is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution organization that provides economic opportunity to entrepreneurs through access to small business loans from $300 to $100,000 and a community of support and resources in Southern California. Accessity’s mission is to open doors of financial opportunity to those with historically less access to capital and business support: entrepreneurs of color, women, immigrants, and low- to moderate-income entrepreneurs, so they can build prosperous businesses and livelihoods for themselves and their families, while also strengthening communities. Since 1994, the organization has provided approximately $60 million in loans to small business owners, assisting them in starting, expanding, building self-sufficiency, and supporting the local employment and economy. For more information, visit accessity.org.

About the Eva Longoria Foundation
Recognizing that Latinas are a rapidly growing group that lives disproportionately in poverty, the Eva Longoria Foundation’s mission is to help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship.  Areas of programmatic focus currently include parent engagement, mentorship, STEM education, scholarships, microloans and business training for Latinas. Visit the Eva Longoria Foundation online at www.EvaLongoriaFoundation.org.  (@EvaLongoriaFoundation)

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