Minority business owners in Detroit are getting a new pool of money to dip into, and it's a big one.
The Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council is launching the Minority Business Access Fund, a $100 million loan vehicle offering liquidity assistance to small- and medium-sized businesses. That could mean everything from multi-million dollar automotive suppliers to family owned businesses.
"We hope this will be a great value to the businesses in the neighborhoods of Detroit," says Louis Green, president of the
Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council.
The
Minority Business Access Fund will offer up to $100 million annually to local minority-owned firms. That could be ten $10 million loans or 1,000 $100,000 loans. Green expects to make 75 to 100 loans in the first year.
The Minority Business Access Fund is meant to address the cash-flow needs of minority-owned businesses. Small businesses often find themselves in a cash crunch to meet things like payroll because of hiccups in payments from customers. Minority-owned firms have traditionally been underserved by traditional lending institutions, and this fund is meant to help bridge that gap. Although the fund is sponsored by a council focused on helping minority-owned automotive suppliers, the fund will be open to all comers of color.
"It's open to folks in lots of industries," Green says. "We're talking to folks in healthcare and folks who are working on the
M-1 Rail. We're talking to a lot of folks."
Source: Louis Green, president of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.