In Chapel Hill last week, an innovative new program to help minority businesses got a big boost from a major statewide grant.

“We award 40 grants a year, and we are delighted to do that today for EmPOWERment, Inc.” said Indira Everett, director of government and community relations for Duke Energy, after presenting a $25,000 grant to EmPOWERment, Inc. to support BrightPath Solutions, a new training program for minority-owned businesses.

It’s one of 40 such grants Duke Energy is giving out across the state: $1 million in all, supporting organizations focused on social justice and racial equity. Everett says this grant program began back in 2020, in response to the murder of George Floyd.

“We wanted to be an active participant in bettering our communities and working collaboratively,”  Everett said. “We’re into our third year awarding organizations that are led by people of color and supporting people of color around training, equity, and social justice.”

EmPOWERment launched BrightPath Solutions earlier this year. Executive director Delores Bailey said the program grew out of their experience helping business owners through the pandemic — and realizing that many of them needed better connections with banks and other support networks, plus access to more information about marketing and running a business in the first place.

“What we came away with was [the need for] a program somewhere that addressed minority businesses, helped them get started, helped them hold on,” said Bailey.

BrightPath launched in April with an initial cohort of 15 business owners, including Andrene Powell of PTC Cleaning Services and Gladis Munoz of Hillsborough’s Restaurante Ixtapa.

“They’ve been very important; they’re the ones that actually helped me get started,” said Powell at last week’s event.

Munoz agreed. “It’s teaching us how to be prepared and how to run a business,” she said. “There should be more programs like this.”

Indira Everett says BrightPath is exactly the sort of program Duke Energy is eager to support — and she says the company will continue supporting similar organizations in the future.

“Folks need to know that there’s support out there,” Everett said. “We just want to help you figure out how to get to it and access it.”

The next BrightPath training sessions will occur in January, open to Orange County businesses that have been open at least five years. If you’re interested in participating, call EmPOWERment at 919-967-8779 or email empowermentincnc@gmail.com.

 

Photo via EmPOWERment, Inc.

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