Fiserv Teams Up with Broward Black Chamber for Small Business Grants; Corporation gives $500,000 to help black businesses

Coral Springs, FL, September 17, 2020 – Fiserv local executives gathered with the Founder and  President of the Broward County Black Chamber of Commerce, Shaheewa Jarrett Gelin, Esq.,  and other local officials on Thursday, September 17th to launch its #Back2Business initiative in  Broward County.

Fiserv has committed to awarding up to $10,000 to small, black businesses in Broward County,  who have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus shut downs. The company will give  away a total of half a million dollars. Clearly, Fiserv has set a new standard to be followed by  the other large corporations in Broward County and the South Florida region.

To the Broward County Black Chamber President, this was like a miracle. “For Fiserv to step  up in a time when help has stalled on the federal, state, and local levels for small businesses, is  huge. I haven’t heard of any other large corporations giving back locally on this scale to black  run organizations,” she notes.

She also recognized how critical is was for Fiserv to infuse capital into black businesses. “41%  of black business were permanently closed as of mid-April of this year, as compared to only  17% of white businesses. Black businesses have been devastated by the coronavirus,” Mrs.  Jarrett Gelin noted during her speech at the event. She also thanked the current Broward  County Mayor, Dale Holness, for connecting Fiserv to the Chamber.

At the event, two small, black businesses were presented with $10,000 checks and a free  Clover merchant system. “We will be able to pay our rent and catch up on bills,” shared  Michael and Chef Judith Able, the owners of Swirl Wine Bistro. “Joining the Broward County  Black Chamber was the best decision we made. They have been there for us with PPE and  now this grant,” Michael Able continued.

The Broward County Black Chamber has been working diligently through the pandemic to help  its members get PPP funding, obtain sanitizer and PPE, and access grants. The Chamber  announced the partnership with Fiserv on its social media pages on Monday, September 21st.  A company must be a small, black for-profit business based in Broward County, FL in order to  be considered for a grant.

For more information, email info@browardCountyBlackChamberOfCommerce.com