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Sam’s Club donates $2.5 million to female entrepreneurs

4/4/2014

Bentonville, Ark. – The Sam’s Club Giving Program is providing a $2.5 million grant to grow U.S. women-owned businesses and jumpstart job creation. Awarded to three non-profit organizations, the grant creates the WE Lend Initiative, a two-year investment in strengthening SBA-recognized Women’s Business Centers (WBCs).



The WE Lend Initiative leverages the networks and expertise of three national organizations dedicated to small business prosperity and growth: Accion, the U.S. Network, National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP). The $2.5 million investment enables the WE Lend Initiative to achieve three key objectives that will benefit women entrepreneurs:



• Train select Women’s Business Centers to become microlenders and provide capital for loans to women business owners.



• Strengthen the Women’s Business Center’s referral process, motivating them to more effectively connect women with microlenders and financing to grow their businesses.



• Increase the capacity of the Women’s Business Centers to provide the women they serve with solid financial literacy and loan readiness skills.



“Lack of access to capital and financing continues to be a leading deterrent to success for U.S. women-owned businesses,” said Rosalind Brewer, president and CEO of Sam’s Club. “The WE Lend Initiative seeks to bridge this financing gap and empower women entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams. We are excited to support our grantees and the Small Business Administration to advance Women’s Business Centers and provide hundreds of women-owned businesses with effective training and microlending resources.”


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