• Ford Motor Company and its philanthropic arm, Ford Motor Company Fund, are awarding more than $400,000 in grants and resources to Latina small business owners impacted by COVID-19
• The grantees, as well as entrepreneurs nationwide, will benefit from a series of free virtual business training webinars that will help strengthen and grow their businesses; First webinar will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, at 7 p.m. EDT
• Together, the 75 grantees employ more than 300 people in 53 cities across 13 states; Grantees will have the chance to compete for an additional $5,000 grant by participating in a video contest starting in February

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 28, 2021 – Ford and Ford Motor Company Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, are awarding $5,000 grants to 75 Latina entrepreneurs whose small businesses have been impacted by COVID-19. The grantees – as well as any entrepreneur nationwide – will also benefit from a series of free virtual business training webinars to help strengthen and grow their businesses.

The selected 75 grantees represent a cross section of businesses, from small restaurants, tutoring centers, coffee shops to general retail stores. Together, their businesses employ more than 300 people in 53 cities across 13 states including Texas, California, Florida, New York, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts and North Carolina. To view the list of grantees and their locations, visit FordDrivingDreams.com.    

“The perils of COVID-19 have negatively impacted many small businesses, but especially Hispanic-owned businesses, with only 6.7% reporting they are profitable and growing,” said Joe Ávila, manager, U.S. & Latin America, Ford Motor Company Fund. “By providing support and relief funding, we hope to help these Latina small-business owners to persevere through these difficult times.” 

The first webinar, entitled, Tax and Accounting, will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 3, from 7-8 p.m. EDT. Beyond business, marketing and branding best practices, webinars will also provide information on how to comply with COVID-19 safety standards or access additional financial support to further protect their investments and help enhance stability moving forward. Webinars will be offered bi-weekly, from February to April, and will be made available to entrepreneurs nationwide. Details and timing for future webinars will be periodically posted here.

Grantees will also have the chance to compete for an additional $5,000 grant by participating in a video contest starting in February. Five winners will be selected and announced in April.

The Ford Driving Dreams Latina Entrepreneurs initiative is being implemented in collaboration with eMerge Americas and the National Development Council. In total, Ford and Ford Fund are investing more than $400,000 in grants and resources to Latina small business owners through this program.

“Thank you! ¡Gracias! My heart is full of joy and excitement, my eyes full of tears of happiness. This is the best news! This grant is going to help my business tremendously,” said Yeraldin Yordi, owner, Yeraldin Events, Manor, Texas.

The Ford Driving Dreams Latina Entrepreneurs initiative adds to Ford Fund’s long-standing commitment to driving socio-economic mobility in Latino communities across the U.S. and Latin America. The new program is an extension of Ford Fund’s signature Ford Driving Dreams initiative that has delivered more than $10 million in scholarships and educational resources for over 200,000 middle and high school students across the United States, Puerto Rico, Latin America and Europe since 2012.

The Latina Entrepreneurs program joins other Ford Fund initiatives targeted at providing assistance during the global pandemic. To date, Ford Fund has contributed more than $3 million to assist nonprofits and community organizations helping people manage challenges related to COVID-19, including more than $1.1 million raised by employees and others through its COVID-19 Donation Match program. To learn more about Ford Fund’s response to COVID-19, visit www.fordfund.org/covid19.