Washington, D.C. (08/25/16) – The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) awarded 18 grants to local affiliate LGBT chambers of commerce on Thursday, August 25 at the 2016 International Business & Leadership Conference in Palm Springs, California. Funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and administered by NGLCC, these grants are targeted towards programs that foster the development, growth, and sustainability of certified LGBT businesses enterprises (LGBTBEs®).
NGLCC local affiliate chambers applied for available grants in funding levels from $2,500 – $10,000 to expand capacity and technical assistance of an existing program benefitting LGBTBEs. Applications were judged based on overall chamber strength, growth in members and community presence, engagement with NGLCC and the LGBT Supplier Diversity Initiative, strength of the program and outlined goals and metrics.
“We are incredibly proud of our long-standing partnership with Wells Fargo. They have been an incredible supporter of our programs and initiatives and I am proud to bring this opportunity to our affiliate chambers,” said Justin Nelson, NGLCC Co-Founder & President. “Wells Fargo has been with us from the beginning and their commitment to helping the LGBT business community is underscored by this exciting grant program.”
“Wells Fargo is a proud, long-time supporter of NGLCC, and we share their commitment to helping small business owners succeed financially,” said Lisa Stevens, head of Small Business for Wells Fargo. “We are dedicated to providing funding that will support their entrepreneurship and leadership training programs, along with educational tools and resources to help diverse-owned business in communities across America grow and thrive.”
NGLCC awarded 18 grants to the following NGLCC Affiliate Chambers for their innovative programming:
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About NGLCC
The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT-owned businesses. www.nglcc.org
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jonathan Lovitz
VP of External Affairs
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
954-695-5896
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,600 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 268,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 27 on Fortune’s 2016 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.
Wells Fargo serves approximately 3 million small business owners across the United States and loans more money to America’s small businesses than any other bank (2002-2014 CRA government data). To help more small businesses achieve financial success, in 2014 Wells Fargo introduced Wells Fargo Works for Small Business® – a broad initiative to deliver resources, guidance and services for business owners – and a goal to extend $100 billion in new lending to small businesses by 2018. For more information about Wells Fargo Works for Small Business, visit: WellsFargoWorks.com. Follow us on Twitter @WellsFargoWorks.
