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I Be Black Girl
1299 Farnam Street Suite 300 Omaha, NE 68102
ibeblackgirl.com
https://www.facebook.com/ibeblackgirl, https://twitter.com/ibeblackgirl, https://www.instagram.com/ibeblackgirl/
Ashlei Spivey
Executive Director
ashlei@ibeblackgirl.org
+1 (402) 819-9906
Yes
Attached
Attached
I Be Black Girl serves as a collective for Black women, femmes, and girls to actualize their full potential to authentically be, through autonomy, abundance, and liberation. I Be Black Girl (IBBG) is a reproductive justice organization that leads with boldness, innovation, and inspiration, actively creating a radical change-making culture that centers Black women, femmes, and girls. IBBG offers a variety of programming which serves Black women, femmes, and girls; we mobilize towards economic liberation for our members through our Catalyst program which provides information, support, and learnings specific to and focused on Black women entrepreneurs looking to start, grow, and maintain their businesses, providing an intentional space for Black women founders to actualize their entrepreneurial vision and gain economic liberation.
Economic Liberation Catalyst Programming
1300000.0
512500.0
Combination of capital project and service/program
I Be Black Girl’s Catalyst program serves as a business accelerator as we understand that supporting Black women business owners spurs local economic growth and community sustainability. The Catalyst program’s promise is to provide intentional space for Black women founders to actualize their entrepreneurial vision and gain economic liberation. The four month program design provides custom content and learning that is culturally relevant and appropriate to address the needs of Black women founders while supporting their advancement towards economic freedom; the program design includes business coaching, technical skill capacity building, and pipeline building to access capital resources. This program explicitly addresses the inequities of resources, influence, power, and access based on race at the intersection of gender, aligning to racial equity frameworks. The Catalyst program started out as a one-day summit and evolved to a comprehensive learning program. We have hosted one cohort of Black women founders in our inaugural 2021-2022 year, and will manage three cohorts in 2023. This project also addresses the pay and economic equity gap for Black women, and has the opportunity to result in large-scale transformational change in our state’s economic sector for those who face challenges gaining economic liberation. In Nebraska, Black women earn 57.3% of the income white men earn, with a median annual earnings of $25,771. Knowing that Black women lead the majority of Black households, and that they experience the highest pay equity gap and the greatest number of barriers to building businesses, IBBG has created a lever for change through the Catalyst program to utilize entrepreneurship as a solution. The Catalyst models how local investors and entrepreneur-support organizations can invest in Black women founders, especially considering they are the fastest growing entrepreneur segment and experience the highest barriers to success. IBBG has undertaken a capital campaign to develop office and programmatic space where the Catalyst program will live. We are working with Blair Freeman Group to make capital developments to the leased space on 24th and Grant, and anticipate occupying the space by October 2023.
IBBG is diligently working to acquire all funds for the capital developments to the leased space on 24th and Grant by April 2023, and plans to occupy the space by October 2023, at which point we will begin offering programming out of the space. IBBG has already been conducting our Catalyst program - We have been grateful to host one cohort of Black business women thus far, and are excited to host 3 cohorts in 2023 for intentional deep dives with these entrepreneurs.
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Fundamental Change (i.e., a proposal that will continue to elevate North or South Omaha's presence and perception within the region, significantly improving the lives of area residents through physical development) Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha) Transformational (i.e., a proposal that will help energize, recharge, or spur significant and favorable advancements in North or South Omaha's function or appearance)
Other Infrastructure (i.e., develop or improve broadband, business districts, roadways, sewer, etc.) Policy (i.e., develop or improve context-sensitive education, finance, health, training, zoning, etc.) Quality of Life (i.e., create or enhance natural spaces, mixed uses, parks, safety, etc.) Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)
The Catalyst program serves as a business accelerator because we understand that supporting Black women business owners spurs local economic growth and contributes to the livelihood of Black women, their families, and their communities. Black women are most affected by the pay equity gap, earning .61 cents per dollar earned by white male peers - But despite the pay equity gap, Black women launch new businesses more often than any other group in the nation. From 2002-2012, the number of businesses owned by Black women increased 179%, compared to 52% for all women-owned businesses and 20% for all businesses. Even though Black women business owners are the fastest growing entrepreneur segment, many Black women business owners lack access to culturally relevant business services, have difficulty accessing credit, and face capital constraints. Since Black women in Nebraska are disproportionately impacted by inequity in entrepreneurship and the workforce, IBBG understands that it is critical for us to provide intentional resources to Black women founders. We know that supporting Black women business owners spurs local economic growth, creates vibrant and sustainable communities, provides success for economically challenged communities, and combats talent loss and brain drain. The Catalyst program contributes to community sustainability by creating programming which intentionally invests in the success and entrepreneurship of Black business women. Our approach allows us to not only invest in the sustained livelihood of Black women, but of their families and entire communities - Because Black women are pillars across our communities, and any investment in Black women is a community-wide investment. The Catalyst program and our soon-to-be programmatic space have been created by those most directly impacted, and the space is rooted within the historic footprint of the Black community in North Omaha. The investment in this infrastructure will ensure Black women founders have access to the real and comprehensive resources they need within their community to establish, grow, and maintain their businesses and access economic freedom. The Catalyst program also contributes to infrastructure by building economic infrastructure for Black families through the investment in Black business women, in addition to Black business women building businesses which contribute to economic infrastructure in our city. The Catalyst program ultimately seeks to improve quality of life for Black women and femmes through investing in the improved economic outcomes of Black women run businesses, which experience some of the most barriers to success and investment. Through investing in Black women entrepreneurs, we are not only investing in local small businesses and contributing to local economies, we are investing in the health and livelihood of these Black business women, their children, their families, and entire communities.
Every economic investment in IBBG is an investment in Black women, femmes, and girls, which is inherently a community-wide investment in North Omaha rippling to all of Omaha. IBBG is building infrastructure which truly meets the needs of our community - And we are doing so through centering the leadership and experiences of those most directly impacted. Not only is the capital development of our office and programmatic space contributing to the physical infrastructure in North Omaha, but our Catalyst programming and investment in Black business women is building economic infrastructure for Black women, femmes, and their families. By investing in Black women’s businesses, we are contributing to the ability for Black business women to succeed and thrive and have access to all the resources they need in order to do so. Through centering the needs of Black women and femmes, we can address these community-identified weaknesses within North Omaha and build towards a city that actually invests in and supports the livelihood, health, and sustainability of Black women, femmes, and their families. IBBG has long known the opportunities that exist within North Omaha, especially when we center the needs, experiences, and leadership of Black women, femmes, and girls. The location we chose for our offices and programmatic space was strategic and specific - We see the lack of investment in North Omaha’s infrastructure daily, and we know that our community deserves much more infrastructure and resources than we have historically had access to. By developing our physical space and infusing North Omaha, specifically the 24th and Lake street corridor, with an investment that is specific to the success and livelihood of Black women, femmes, and girls, we are contributing to the overall wellness and sustainability of our city and bringing much-needed resources to a group which has received some of the least investment in our city. Additionally, by choosing to lease and develop a space in North Omaha, we are investing in the commercial development of our city in addition to building community structures which support the longevity and health of Black communities. Our Catalyst programming has already been building upon the power of Black women and femmes’ entrepreneurship, and we have seen the ways in which investing in Black business women has resulted in increased economic infrastructure in our city, in addition to contributing to the livelihood and wellness of Black women, femmes, and their families. There are many threats that IBBG’s programming fights against, all in service of freeing the Black women, femmes, and girls which we serve from the constraints of systems like white supremacy and anti-Blackness. The negative media portrayals of North Omaha have strategically barred our neighborhoods from meaningful investment for years - But we know the collective strength, resilience, and power which lives in North Omaha, and we know the area is more than deserving of an infusement of funds, resources, and services. The perceived inability to create positive economic impacts in North Omaha is rooted within anti-Blackness and this idea must be overthrown - An investment in the economies of Black families and neighborhoods is inherently an economic investment in the entire city of Omaha, and there is real opportunity to create sustained wellness and growth within North Omaha through investing in Black women and femmes specifically. We know Black women and femmes are pillars in our communities, and we also know that Black women and femmes receive some of the least investment - While at the same time they are pouring into their families and communities, they are barred from accessing the supports they need to invest in themselves. IBBG’s Catalyst program is a direct investment in Black business women, and through centering the needs and experiences of Black women we are able to shift local narratives about what is and is not possible in our city.
IBBG’s proposal fits squarely within LB1024’s strategic funding priorities to address goals for transformation, fundamental change, and long lasting economic growth. The Black women, femmes, and girls which IBBG serves have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and continue to feel the economic impacts of the pandemic in addition to the rising economic recession. LB1024’s funding opportunity comes at a time where our communities need additional support and resources to access health, wellness, and safety, and we hope to leverage LB1024 funding in order to rise up and meet our community’s needs. IBBG is implementing our work already - We are in the middle of our capital campaign to secure needed funds, ensuring that 100% of the capital developments for our offices and programmatic space will be made by 2025, within the necessary timeframe and all while meeting federal, state, and city regulations and processes along the way. We are ready and up to task to carry the work of our capital campaign and Catalyst program, all while centering the leadership and needs of Black women and femmes across our community. Our work has already been impacting QCTs and North Omaha, and we look forward to bringing even more power and strength to impacted communities as we develop and build these initiatives, with an investment of LB1024 funding. Not only are we ready now, but we are ready to succeed now - We know that this initiative will be successful, because we are building upon the work that we have already successfully implemented in our community. We have already successfully supported Black women business owners in building, growing, and maintaining successful businesses in Omaha and we have already successfully organized our community to take action which results in transformational change for Black women, femmes, and their families. Any investment in IBBG is recycled within our communities - We aim to gain access to resources and capital in order to equitably distribute access for our community in North Omaha. We are leveraging our access and power in order to bring further access and power to the Black women, femmes, and girls which we serve. We are creating investment opportunities in the overall economies and communities within North Omaha through making specific and meaningful investments in Black women and femmes, who often go on to create additional economic opportunities for folks in our community through their own businesses. We aim to invest in our community so as to keep the impact of our investment local - We want to see Black women and femmes and their families win and achieve economic freedom, and oftentimes a win means gaining access to the resources we need within the communities that we live in, so that we do not need to seek access to these resources elsewhere. IBBG is creating transformational, long lasting economic growth and fundamental change across our communities through looking at the root of why Black women and femmes are not set up to succeed and building appropriate structures to ensure that they can. We are developing programming and supports which are specific to supporting Black women and femmes in gaining access to what they need in order to succeed and thrive, and we have already seen the ways this creates transformational change within small ecosystems of families and neighborhoods. We are excited to build upon this collective power and knowledge in order to create greater, sustained transformational change across North Omaha. IBBG has been part of our community for 5 years, and was created from the needs and vision of Black women and femmes in Omaha - We already knew what our community needed because we are deeply embedded within community; we are grateful to see these community-identified needs institutionalized in this LB1024 funding opportunity. We hope to show through the impact of our programming what all can be done in North Omaha through real, meaningful investment in Black women.
There will be several temporary jobs created through the construction for the capital developments to the leased building for our offices and programmatic space through the procurement of Blair Freeman as our general contractor. There will be permanent jobs created through programming, including Black women business leaders who will create employment opportunities within our community as we will have served 100 founders through the program by 2025. At IBBG, we always demand a thriving, not living wage as we know Black women are impacted by both the gender and racial economic gap. The wages that we anticipate for the mixed industry businesses served, will be at a thriving wage for that individual and their model.
75
30
the goal is over a living wage since we work in multiple industries
The Catalyst program provides ongoing opportunities to invest in Black women run businesses in QCTs, businesses which then go on to provide increased employment opportunities within and outside of QCTs, bringing value to North Omaha communities and beyond. By investing in Black women entrepreneurs who live and work in QCTs, we are investing in the development of ongoing opportunity for these business women and their businesses, which bring incredible value to our communities and increase the livability and representation in our city.
IBBG’s offices and programmatic space will improve the livability in our community by ensuring access to comprehensive resources for Black women and femmes to achieve economic liberation. The Catalyst program invests in the economies of Black women and femmes, which we understand to be an inherent investment in Black families and communities. This programming creates a foundation for Black women run businesses to succeed and thrive, improving the quality of life for Black women and femmes and their families, and communities as a whole. When Black women thrive, we all thrive: This is the community benefit of IBBG’s programming. 61% of Black women self-fund their startup capital (compared to 52% of white men), while only 29% of those same Black women entrepreneurs live in households with incomes over $75,000. There are many reasons for this, one being that Black women experience barriers to receiving funding elsewhere - Black business owners who apply for funding are rejected at a rate that is 3 times higher than white business owners. Not only that, but Black business owners also identify access to credit as a challenge to receiving funding. IBBG’s Catalyst program directly impacts these barriers in order to set Black women entrepreneurs up for success from the beginning - By gaining these entrepreneurs access to capital funds and connections, we are leveraging our own access to break down the barriers that Black women founders experience when starting and growing their businesses. Even given these barriers to funding, the number of Black women owned businesses grew 50% from 2014-2019, representing the highest growth rate of any women demographic. Additionally, from 2014-2019, Black women accounted for 42% of all women who opened a new business, and represented 36% of all Black employers. The fact that Black business women account for 36% of all Black employers highlights one of the major community benefits in investing in Black women entrepreneurs - Black women entrepreneurs bring innovative leadership to the businesses they establish, and cultivate employment opportunities for other community members. Not only is an investment in Black business women an investment in their leadership, but an investment in the diversification of the economy by building new, innovative businesses which bring new employment opportunities to our neighborhoods. Over 60% of Black women entrepreneurs spend fewer than 40 hours per week on their business - Highlighting that Black women are capitalizing on their entrepreneurial spirit in order to have more autonomy over their work and lives, and have more space to contribute to their families and communities. There is not only a lot of power in Black business women getting to make the decision to work fewer hours than a traditional US work week would require, but an incredible community benefit wherein Black women and femmes are able to contribute more of their time to their families and communities. When Black women and femmes are not forced to spend so much of their time working - for pennies on the dollar of what so many of their peers make - they are able to spend more time with their children, at their children’s schools, with their parents and families, and within the community. An investment in Black business women is an investment in their autonomy, their economic liberation, and their contributions to their families and communities. Even given their high entrepreneurial drive, only 3% of Black women owned businesses survive past 5 years. This highlights the oppressive culmination of barriers which exist for Black women entrepreneurs along their paths to build, maintain, and grow their businesses. Black business women deserve to be invested in; this investment in the leadership of Black business women is long overdue, and we know that an investment in Black women is an investment in their families and communities - This type of investment simply makes sense.
This proposal contributes to community sustainability in a variety of ways: Economic justice and liberation are inherent in our programming, as our investment into Black women and femmes not only contributes to their individual economic stability but also to the economic stability of their families and communities. Our Catalyst program invests in the businesses and leadership of Black women and femmes, which is an investment that we know goes beyond the individual Black business woman and invests in the sustainability of their families and communities. IBBG programming inherently invests in the quality of life for Black women, femmes, and girls and strives to create improved economic outcomes for Black women and femmes and their families, because we believe in achieving economic liberation for Black women and femmes to ensure autonomy over the work they engage in and achieving wages which improve their sustained wellness and longevity. Through empowering Black women and femmes and providing the resources they need to succeed, we are diligently mobilizing towards a healthier, safer, more sustainable Omaha.
Everything IBBG leads is innovative and bold because we create spaces specifically for and by Black women and femmes. The Catalyst program’s core is innovation, as the Black woman run businesses which we invest in are innovative and enrich communities across Omaha; additionally, the model we use centers innovation and allows for us to ideate new ideas or scale and maintain current businesses. Black women and femmes launch new, innovative businesses which bring further access, creativity, and beauty to our communities. IBBG is part of several national networks wherein we bring learnings back to our programming through an intentional change management and learning lens; we are proud to lead this investment in Black business women and bring greater representation and innovation to our city.
There are many outcomes which we hope will measure the impact of IBBG’s programming. We like to define the Catalyst program’s success by each individual entrepreneur and their vision, but additionally have a number of items we measure throughout the program, including: Registered/licensed businesses Increased revenue/secured capital Surveys to measure: (1) knowledge/skills building, (2) feeling more confident or secure, and (3) resilience and mental health The objectives and outcomes of the Catalyst program include: Participants will improve in their understanding and confidence regarding the core areas of their business, how those areas interrelate, and the impact each area has on the success of their business Participants will gain the ability to identify what motivates their customer base and how to speak clearly to that motivation through a value proposition that demonstrates how their business helps their customers Participants will understand how to produce a marketing plan that reflects the problem their ideal customers are facing, how to communicate effectively to them, and the best channels to reach them Participants will improve in their ability to use profit calculations to understand revenue, costs, and profit margin Participants will feel confident and prepared to engage in conversations with funding organizations Participants will improve in self-analysis, the ability to set priorities as a business owner as it relates to the growth of their business, and the skills required to plan strategically Participants will increase their business revenue or secure necessary capital after completing the Catalyst program
IBBG looks forward to collaborating with UBUNTU Research & Evaluation - a third-party Black woman owned firm - who will provide structure to how we evaluate outputs, outcomes, and long term impact. We look forward to developing these evaluative strategies so that we may report on the impact of our community programming and advocacy, and bring further awareness to the ways to meaningfully invest in the leadership of Black women, femmes, and girls.
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We are fortunate to partner with organizations that are committed to the success of Black women and femmes both in and out of the entrepreneurial sector. Equida, a nonprofit organization that supports Black entrepreneurs is a key partner in delivering the technical skill support. As a partner, Equida has co-created curriculum and the Catalyst program design. We will continue to build partnerships with other organizations in the sector to provide complementary, not duplicative programming; and have done so with institutions like No More Empty Pots, Department of Economic Development, lenders and investors, Omaha 100 and the local SBA. Additionally, our partnerships with some technical assistance organizations - like Less the Agency and Hayes and Associates - allow us to lean on marketing and financial experts who support our Black women founders.
Equida, Less the Agency, Hayes and Associates
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The leased space is located on 24th and Grant (2306 N 24th St) in the heart of North Omaha, centrally located in the urban core of the historic footprint of the Black community and on a bus line.
Within one or more QCTs
IBBG’s offices and programmatic space are being built in QCT Tract 11. We wanted to contribute to the intentional development happening in that corridor, where a lot of investment is being made, and firmly place our footprint within the community to establish IBBG as a core community resource for Black women and femmes.
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IBBG requests $512,500 total in LB1024 grant funding - $312,500 of which would support the capital developments to our programmatic space, and $200,000 of which would support our Catalyst program over two years. We are requesting this amount because the Black women, femmes, and girls that IBBG serves were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and continue to be economically impacted by the lasting effects of the pandemic. On top of the COVID-19 specific impacts, our communities are being hit hard by the current recession, and an infusement of funds into IBBG’s programming will support us in gaining our community access to the economic resources they need to make it through this recession and global pandemic.
LB1024 grant funding will support the capital developments to our programmatic space in addition to the Catalyst program’s programmatic costs. Funding for the capital developments to the space will allow us to ensure all the functionality and accessibility we and our community need, and funding for the Catalyst program will allow us to strengthen our investment in Black women founders and leaders across our community, including serving three new cohorts of Black business women in 2023.
Yes
IBBG has a strong and aggressive fundraising strategy that includes private and corporate foundations, government, and individual contributions. We are committed to not using any debt financing to achieve the developments to our office and programmatic space. Our fund development plans allow for diversification of funds to ensure the sustainability of the organization and work.
IBBG has secured $133,000 in ARPA funding for our capital campaign. Additionally, IBBG has secured the following funding for our Catalyst program: United Way DEI grant ($50,000), Bank of the West ($20,000), and First National Bank of Omaha ($15,000). IBBG has several pending funding requests for our capital campaign - including Weitz Family Foundation and additional private and corporate philanthropists - which we are awaiting decisions on, and we intend to make additional asks to institutional partners and community donors to reach our fundraising need by April 2023.
Pending funding: Weitz Family Foundation, $500,000, expected decision December 2022 // Private & Corporate Philanthropists, $200,000, expected decision December 2022
Yes - We need funding in order to fulfill this proposal and intended work. We are grateful to receive support from small private foundations and community donors - And the development of this office and programmatic space and Catalyst programming requires additional financial investment in order to get off the ground and succeed. This funding will fully be utilized to invest in the health, wellness, and livelihood of Black women, femmes, and girls and bringing further attention to the ways that community members and foundations can join us in making meaningful, intentional investments into the lives of Black women and femmes.
This program is scalable, and we are capable of scaling it to serve additional participants based on the funds and investment which we receive. Because the investment in Black women and Black women’s work is so incredibly minimal, we know we must scale this proposal in order to support even more Black women founders in building, maintaining, and growing their businesses - And we can only do this when we ourselves receive the financial investment IBBG needs in order to support these individual Black women entrepreneurs. We are conducting the building renovation in phases so as to ensure we can secure needed funding and be fiscally responsible throughout this capital project.
We are diligently partnering with Blair Freeman Group to ensure that the capital developments to the building are being conducted in phases, ensuring that we have the funds necessary and are not overextending ourselves or finding ourselves in a precarious financial situation. By conducting these renovations in phases, we are able to determine (alongside Blair Freeman Group) which work needs to be prioritized and which work can be held for a different phase. In prioritizing the build out of the space where the Catalyst program will live, we are ensuring that Black women founders have access to the support they need to launch, maintain, and grow their businesses for the betterment of North Omaha and beyond.
IBBG allocates significant staff time and resources to the work within this proposal, and we are consistently actively looking for additional resources to ensure our success. We utilize General Operating funds to offset any programmatic costs which are not covered through programmatic-specific funding, and we are always ready to pivot our work to ensure the success of our programming and operations.
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Documentation of site control (proof of ownership, option, purchase contract, or long-term lease agreement) Organizational Chart Pro Forma Proposal Budget/Sources and Uses Request Rationale Documentation