The Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship in Chatham has been awarded a $20,000 Social Entrepreneurial and Enterprise Development grant from the New Jersey Office of Faith Based Initiatives to continue its mission to help women and minority entrepreneurs succeed.
The goal of the SE2D Project is to support faith and community-based organizations to develop, design and launch innovative programs that will empower entrepreneurs from marginalized communities and address the socioeconomic conditions that negatively impact women and Black, indigenous and people of color small business owners.
New Jersey Office of Faith Based Initiatives Executive Director Eddie LaPorte thanked the WCEC for its commitment to helping small business owners who often face barriers to success.
“The WCEC has been a leader in the entrepreneurship space for women and BIPOC small business owners,” he said. “The OFBI supports their efforts in helping these businesses enhance their business infrastructure so that they’re positioned to gain access to capital and the resources they need to thrive.”
WCEC Executive Director Rana Shanawani said the WCEC will use the OFBI SE2D grant to expand its eCommerce Expansion Program — which comes with an e-commerce tool that is a no-cost interactive assessment that provides recommendations for small businesses to develop effective e-commerce strategies.
Shanawani believes this capital infusion will provide crucial support for WCEC staff and programs.
“The New Jersey Office of Faith Based Initiatives SE2D grant will help the WCEC expand its roster of quality programs and allow our dedicated staff to continue to serve the needs of women and BIPOC entrepreneurs from diverse communities,” she said.
