The St. Paul, Minnesota-based Otto Bremer Trust recently awarded funding to the Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. and Northwest Side Community Development Corp. as part of a nearly $15 million round of emergency grants.
WEDC awards $249,000 in grants to Milwaukee entrepreneurship programs
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Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will disburse $249,000 in grants to six Milwaukee-based organizations supporting entrepreneurship.
The grants are a part of a WEDC initiative to provide $500,000 in economic support to 13 organizations that offer resources to entrepreneurs throughout Wisconsin.
Northwest Side Community Development Corp. will receive $60,000 to expand professional accounting, marketing and legal support services for women and minority-owned businesses on Milwaukee’s northwest side. The group specifically targets child care businesses for assistance.
BizStarts, known for its institute that works with entrepreneurs to build wealth in low to moderate-income Milwaukee neighborhoods, will receive $60,000 to build its education and long-term business coaching programming.
Notable Minority Executives: Willie Smith
Executive director, Northwest Side Community Development Corp.
Feb 24, 2021 5:30 pm
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Undergrad degree/university: Bachelor of Science, Cardinal Stritch University
Willie Smith, executive director of the Northwest Side Community Development Corp. (NWSCDC), has led the resurgence of business interest in Milwaukee’s northwest side.
As executive director of NWSCDC since 2020, and previously as director of lending for the organization, Smith has increased small business loans for community residents and businesses located on the northwest side.
Last year, NWSCDC’s eight small business loan total was a 300% increase over the organization’s three-year average. Five of the eight small business loans went to African American entrepreneurs, supporting a wide variety of industries.