AGLAUNCH DEPLOYING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR BIPOC FARMERS AND FOOD BUSINESSSES WITH $645,000 GRANT FROM WELLS FARGO
AGLAUNCH DEPLOYING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR BIPOC FARMERS AND FOOD BUSINESSSES WITH $645,000 GRANT FROM WELLS FARGO
Mid-South Delta Region Designated as Innovation Cluster Focused on AgTech and Value-Chain Businesses
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 6, 2022) — AgLaunch Initiative (AgLaunch) has launched the Small Business Technical Assistance Program to support BIPOC farmers and small businesses in the Mid-South Delta region. The program, made possible by a $645,000 grant from Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund, is providing assistance to small businesses and BIPOC farmers impacted by ongoing challenges during the pandemic. Since AgLaunch’s Small Business Technical Assistance Program began, more than $500,000 has gone directly to farmers and small businesses to support capacity-building projects and certifications.
“This funding is supporting small BIPOC food companies and farmers to ensure that those hit hardest by COVID are able to weather the storm and recent supply chain disruptions,” said Jade Clark, Director of Talent Development at AgLaunch. “We are bringing together farmers and food companies into the national AgLaunch model with the goal of building a more resilient future food system that delivers healthy food for all.”
AgLaunch was awarded the Wells Fargo grant to help small businesses and farmers grow their operations by connecting them to technical expertise. Funding for the technical assistance projects was made possible by the Open for Business Fund, a roughly $420 million national small business recovery effort from Wells Fargo. AgLaunch has, and will continue to, provide BIPOC farmers and food companies with access to experts in business planning, accounting, financial management, legal, marketing, GAP certification, and more to help them recover.
Examples of funded projects include:
- Delta Diamond Farmer Coop, MS, TN, AR: Legal services
- Epicenter, Memphis, TN: Good Food Showcase
- Green Leaf Learning Farm, Memphis, TN: The Organic Trade Association’s Organic Week
- Happy Tea Company, Memphis, TN: Marketing and Outreach
- Memphis Tilth, Memphis, TN: Urban Farmer Academy
- Mileston Farmer Coop, Mileston, MS: GAP+ Certification and training program
“We know the pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color throughout our nation and right here in our communities. Wells Fargo is excited to support an equitable recovery in the Mid-South region through this collaboration with AgLaunch,” said Wells Fargo Regional Banking Senior Manager Teresa Morris. “With these resources, we aim to support communities and small business owners to emerge from the pandemic stronger and more resilient.”
AgLaunch’s Delta Ag Cluster is a 110-county, five-state region comprised of primarily rural counties in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee where AgLaunch leads regional activities with key partners and stakeholders including cohort-based programming, business acceleration, commercialization assistance, mentorship, access to capital, market development, and other business services.
To see some of these projects in action, visit our YouTube channel. For more information, contact Rebecca Kaufman at rkaufman@aglaunch.com.
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About AgLaunch AgLaunch is revolutionizing the way that innovations in agriculture and food are brought to market by bridging the present and future to grow a more diverse and sustainable farm economy and provide healthy food for all. AgLaunch leverages its distributed network of farm incubators, entrepreneurial farmers, aligned capital partners, research consortia, technical consulting, and best-in-class accelerator programming to effectively challenge the status quo and thoughtfully create value for farmers and the communities they serve. The AgLaunch vision is a transformed regional agriculture and food economy centered around farmers, innovation, and prosperity.
For More Information:
Rebecca Kaufman
