LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Black-owned businesses and Black-run initiatives will soon receive extra financial support from the Louisville Urban League.
The Urban League announced Blue Meridian Partners, a philanthropic group based in New York, is donating $8 million to support the Black community in Louisville.
"I am very appreciative of this, but I am also very excited to talk about our ability to be able to strategically focus on creating wealth building pathways and resources for black families in the west end and across our city," Louisville Urban League President and CEO Sadiqa Reynolds said.
Leaders said the money will be applied to a $50 million request that the Urban League submitted to the city in June. The money will be given to over a dozen different programs that support the "A Path Forward for Louisville" initiative. Immediately, $2.2 million of the funds will be put toward affordable housing and rental programs.
Installments will also be given to various education programs including The Hope Buss, Play Cousins Collective, Sewing Seeds of Faith, Decode Project and AMPED.
The largest donations for education will be given to Evolve 502 and Simmons College of Kentucky, who will each receive $500,000.
"This is a wonderful beginning on what we know will be a long-term initiative as we carve our path forward," Reynolds said. "We are incredibly grateful for this investment in Louisville's Black community."
Leaders said funds will also be set aside for Black business development, with $123,000 alone going to JoCari Beattie to help produce his invention, "Besks," which are portable backpack-desks designed to help students in need.
"We've been nickel-and-diming it for six years," Beattie said. "We're just super grateful at the fact that what was once a dream has now become a reality."
The Urban League will get the money over the next two years.
While leaders said they're grateful for the funds they'll receive from Blue Meridian Partners, the Urban League is calling on city leaders to do more to support the Black community.
"We don't expect for people who are not in this city, not in this state, to come in and invest and not be met with a match dollar for dollar," Reynolds said. "I think this community will be able to do that"
The Urban League said METCO has also committed to giving an additional $500,000 to support the Black community.
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