Media Contact: Kerri Leedy (559) 307-6491
Kerri.m.leedy@kp.org
Oakland, Calif., July 31, 2024 – Kaiser Permanente is investing $15 million in grants over three years that support small and diverse businesses through access to low-interest loans, grants, technical assistance, training, and networking opportunities.
The grants, made through a Kaiser Permanente fund at the East Bay Community Foundation, support Kaiser Permanente’s long-term commitment to improve health and vitality in the city of Oakland, home to our national headquarters.
Many of Oakland’s small businesses are struggling with significant challenges including crime, a slow post-pandemic economic recovery, and lack of access to low-cost capital. Entrepreneurs of color, women, and LGBTQ-owned businesses face additional barriers including inequitable access to mentors and networking opportunities, technical assistance, and resources in their primary language.
Kaiser Permanente recognizes that economic opportunity and health outcomes are closely linked, and the success of small businesses is key to a thriving local economy. Kaiser Permanente held listening sessions with community partners including chambers of commerce before developing the package of grants that address Oakland’s most pressing small business needs.
“We learned about the numerous needs that small businesses have in order to survive and thrive including low-cost capital, technical assistance and training, networking opportunities, and much more,” said Yvette Radford, vice president, External and Community Affairs, Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “We’re proud to fund the organizations that will provide these resources and supports that Oakland’s resilient, diverse small businesses need to succeed.”
Small business grants provide access to low-interest loans, technical assistance, training and networking opportunities
The $15 million in grants expand across 11 key organizations in Oakland that will work together to provide much-needed support to small business owners and entrepreneurs.
The grants include:
- $5 million to support Pacific Community Ventures’ Oakland Restorative Loan Fund, which will help approximately 47 small business entrepreneurs access low-cost capital and technical assistance to sustain and grow their operations.
- $2.5 million to East Bay Community Foundation, which will support a rapid-response grant fund to help up to 88 small businesses address public safety concerns and invest in their capital readiness.
- $2 million to Black Cultural Zone, which will support up to 90 current or legacy Black business owners in East Oakland to build capacity and strengthen the infrastructure of their small business.
- $500,000 to Oakland Fund for Public Innovation/ESO Ventures to train Black and Brown entrepreneurs and provide business services, such as coaching, accounting, marketing, and incorporation assistance.
- $500,000 to Philanthropic Ventures Foundation/Oakstop, which will engage entrepreneurs in a 12-month series of workshops, events, and other support services.
- $2.75 million to the Spanish-speaking Unity Council, which will assist small and diverse-owned businesses with business planning, financial management, access to capital, technology training, and crime and public safety response.
- $1.6 million ($400,000 each) to ethnic chambers of commerce, the African American, Vietnamese, Chinatown, and Latino chambers of commerce, to enhance operations so they can further support small businesses through trainings, convenings, and networking activities.
- $900,000 to the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to develop new solutions to address the challenges small businesses face, including subsidized membership fees, a mentorship matching program, a small business procurement pilot, and sales and marketing opportunities at citywide events.
Small business owners say this support will help Oakland businesses survive
Angela Tsay started her civic pride merchandising business Oaklandish in the early 2000s. She sold T-shirts and other items from the back of a converted camper van at local farmer’s markets and community events. Eventually, Tsay was able to open a store in downtown Oakland and at one point she operated 7 stores throughout the Bay Area along with a screen-printing facility.
But the pandemic reduced foot traffic and her customer base. She eventually had to close some of her stores and lost her line of credit from her bank due to business losses. Tsay was able to apply for a low-cost loan through Pacific Community Ventures in late 2021, and it provided her with the funding she needed to keep her business afloat.
Tsay said she’s grateful for the loan support she received, and knows the grant from Kaiser Permanente, which will allow Pacific Community Ventures to continue providing no fee, low-cost loans to small business owners, will be a lifeline for many in Oakland.
“It very much can be the difference between survival and going out of business,” she said. “It definitely will relieve some of the pressures many small businesses are faced with.”
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About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve nearly 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.
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