A local consulting agency that seeks to advance black businesses in the Pittsburgh area has secured a $15,000 grant via a joint effort from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and Citizens Bank.

Cocoapreneur has started the Pittsburgh Black Business Relief Fund to alleviate the financial burden for black-owned businesses in the city that sustained damages from looting during the George Floyd protests.

According to a news release from the URA, “numerous black-owned businesses were damaged during the protests.”

Founder Khamil Scantling blames the vandals, whom she calls “agitators, provocateurs and anarchists” from outside of the city, for “causing havoc and inciting misplaced violence” and damaging businesses in Pittsburgh.

“We will help out black businesses become whole again. That’s what this fundraiser is for. All money will go to the repair and inventory replacement of black-owned businesses vandalized during the May 30th sabotaged protests,” Scantling said.

Money received during the campaign will “go to the repair, inventory replacement and expenses of Black-owned businesses damaged during the protests,” the release said.

The campaign seeks to raise $100,000. As of 6 p.m. Thursday, it raised a little more than $43,000.

The URA has pledged $10,000 to the cause, while Citizens Bank will donate $5,000.

“The URA is committed to supporting Black entrepreneurs and during this time of adversity it is more important than ever to evidence our values as an organization and as a city. We must empower leaders and organizations within the Black business community by supporting solutions they’ve developed with their own unique needs in mind,” URA Deputy Executive Director Diamonte Walker said in the release. “I invite other organizations, particularly those who’ve issued statements of solidarity, to support Cocoapreneur’s Inventrify campaign as a definitive step towards turning those good intentions into meaningful action.”

Pittsburgh City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, who is also a URA board member, requested the donation on behalf of the URA.

“First and foremost, I want to thank Cocoapreneur for having the foresight to establish this relief fund. Unfortunately, given our local economy, we know it is both harder for Black businesses to become established as well as thrive. This also means it will be harder for them to recover from the damage done to their businesses,” Lavelle said in the release. “This is a small but truly meaningful donation that goes a long way toward us demonstrating our commitment to both support and grow the Black business community.”

Citizens Bank’s donation comes on the heels of an April donation of $200,000 to the URA’s Small Business Emergency Loan Fund as the authority sought to help business owners during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Small businesses are a vital engine of the Pennsylvania economy. This grant continues the work Citizens has been doing and further demonstrates our commitment to helping business owners get back on their feet,” the release quotes Mark Rendulic, Pittsburgh president and retail director of Citizens Bank.

To donate to the Pittsburgh Black Business Relief Fund, click here.

Any funds left over would be used for emergency purposes for black-owned businesses including issuing mini grants for businesses in need, Scantling said.

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