Black Leaders Pave the Way for Generational Prosperity

In less than a year, the Be Blac Foundation awarded $74,000 in grants to Black-owned businesses in the Salem area. This month, they celebrate another $33,500 in grants that will continue to vitalize a diverse and economically advancing community.

The Be Blac Foundation offers grants and business development resources to Black-owned businesses in the Salem area, with the goal of empowering the next generation of Black leaders. Gregg Peterson, executive director of the Be Blac Foundation, explained, “Our hope is to help develop and grow generational wealth.”

The Be Blac Foundation received funding from Business Oregon’s Economic Equity Investment Plan (EEIP), a program passed in 2022 to develop economic stability, self-sufficiency, and wealth building in disadvantaged communities. EEIP allocated $15 million to various organizations, like the Be Blac Foundation, to accomplish that development.

Grants range from $3,000 to $6,000 this quarter and will be awarded to eight local Black-owned businesses: Kingdom City Coffeehouse, Original Court St. Dairy, Capitol Consignment, AAA Shepherds Care Home, Briggs Pro Essentials, Zoe Family Productions, The Dollar Haven, and Fierce Kingdom Apparel.

Alongside their grants, the Be Blac Foundation offers a variety of business development resources, including workshops, which provide training in disciplines like managing business expenses, understanding tax laws, and recruiting and retaining employees. Businesses applying for grants are required to attend at least three of the six workshops offered every quarter.

Workshops are made possible through an essential partnership with Chemeketa Community College’s Small Business Development Center. This collaboration connects each grant recipient with a personal business advisor, ensuring they remain supported and thriving far beyond the grant money.

Devin Brown, owner of Kingdom City Coffeehouse, shared how the Be Blac Foundation has been instrumental in empowering his business since its opening last year. The grant he receives this month will enable him to retain employees despite rising costs and build connections to market their in-house roasted coffee. He also hopes to kickstart a sustainability project that will repurpose used coffee beans into marketable goods.

Inspired by Salem’s biblical namesake meaning “peace,” Brown opened Kingdom City Coffeehouse with the vision of fostering a place of peace in the hustle of Salem life. He had dreamed of opening a coffee shop, and it now serves a dual purpose, acting as an avenue to invest in local youth.

Kingdom City Coffeehouse aims to equip youth for adulthood by offering life-skills presentations on topics like buying a car, saving for a home, and navigating relationships. The Be Blac Foundation’s grant and resource network allows the Coffeehouse to continue cultivating the local community.

As equity and inclusion become a central focus in our culture, the Be Blac Foundation fills an essential role in the Salem business community—developing a diverse and excellent generation of leaders. Businesses are continually seeking to adopt more diverse, inclusive leadership. “We’re helping to identify and find leaders to sit in those places,” Peterson said. “We’re also training them to be in those places.”

Kingdom City Coffeehouse is hosting a celebration for the grant recipients. But they celebrate something more than funding. They celebrate a disadvantaged community building their own generational wealth for the benefit of all.