DEVELOPMENT CENTERS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP &
SMALL BUSINESS CENTER

The Greater Washington Urban League's Entrepreneurship Center and the By Our Hands program has partnered with DoorDash on an accelerator program to help food service owners increase their revenue.

The DoorDash Accelerator for Local Restaurants: Live & Local Series will empower and equip food service owners with the tools and resources they need to expand and grow their businesses. Specifically for restaurant owners, including food trucks, food stalls and community kitchens in Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, MN, this program will combine in-person events, mentorship from industry experts, entrepreneurship methodology, and a $5,000 grant.

📆The Accelerator will run from May through October 2024 and include 5 in-person events.

📄 Applications close May 1st!

LEARN MORE AND APPY

The Entrepreneurship Center fosters and leads the development of entrepreneurial mindset, venture creation, and small business growth and sustainment in marginalized communities of color within the Washington Metropolitan Area.

VISION

MISSION

Our mission is to create and sustain viable Black communities through thriving Black businesses. Through its programming, GWUL EC assists in removing barriers to entrepreneurship opportunities and expediting resources to successful small business start-up, growth, and expansion.

COHORT SPECIALIZATIONS

BY OUR HANDS COHORT:
ELEVATING FOOD CULTURE

CONTRACTORS’ PATHWAY TO INCLUSION COHORT:
CONTRACTORS BECOME PROCUREMENT READY!

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SPARK COHORT:
MAPPING YOUR ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNEY

ARTS AND CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS’ COHORT:
BUILD x CONNECT x CREATE

WEBINARS

What does the Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center Do:

We are committed to offering free and/or discounted services that build competent entrepreneurs:

Subject-Matter Workshops
One-On-One Personalized Coaching
Contractors Resource Information
Access to Capital Facilitation
Business License Assistance

Business Model Development
Assessments, Evaluations, and Feasibility Studies
Peer Interaction and Network Support
Business Therapy for Entrepreneurs
Market Research Support

BRAP Ceremony 2023

In FY 2023 GWUL’s PepsiCo BRAP participants were supported through a service mix of intensive developmental cohorts, individual and group counseling, subject matter expert workshops and inclusion in special networking and customer acquisition events. These services were delivered through the GWUL Entrepreneurship Center’s “By Our Hands”: Elevating Food Culture (BOH) branded program.

Learn more in our report below.

GWUL 2023 BRAP Report

BOH

BY OUR HANDS COHORT: ELEVATING FOOD CULTURE

Elevate the prominence of Black food culture in the Metropolitan Washington Area. Create an innovative food service collaborative that sustains emerging and legacy food service businesses, through the By Our Hands framework.

VISION

MISSION

By Our Hands participants receive training, coaching, and resources to launch, sustain, and scale their food service business. We incubate, educate, counsel and connect participants to resources and each other.

PURPOSE/COMMITMENT

Provide step-by-step guidance to start food service industry businesses
Provide opportunities to learn the power of networking and collaborating
Provide training in the latest technology and best practices within the food service industry
Provide access to funding resources and information on how to bid on food contracts

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

BECOME A MEMBER

Contractors

CONTRACTORS’ PATHWAY TO INCLUSION COHORT:
CONTRACTORS BECOME PROCUREMENT READY!

The Contractors’ Pathway accelerates procurement success among Black contractors in winning and retaining contracts through our personalized approach.

VISION

MISSION

To provide guidance through the acquisition life cycle, moving contractors through the Contractors’ Pathway with a personalized step-by-step roadmap. We incubate, educate, counsel and advise!

PURPOSE/COMMITMENT

Better positioned to win contracts
Provide step-by-step guidance through the bid process
Position contractors to scale
Assist in growing revenue and creating jobs
Build a complete ecosystem of strategic partners, tools, and resources
Stimulate multi-generational wealth creation and legacy building
Close the racial wealth gap

Spark

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SPARK COHORT: MAPPING YOUR ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNEY

The vision of the Entrepreneurship Spark Cohort is to foster and lead the development of entrepreneurial mindset, emotional support, skills assessment, and venture creation.

VISION

MISSION

Our mission is to provide training and resources to emerging entrepreneurs to activate their passion from ideation stage to venture launch. Through the Spark Cohort, client’s entrepreneurial readiness is assessed and participants are guided in their journey with the development of a personalized step-by-step roadmap.

PURPOSE/COMMITMENT

Facilitate entrepreneurship exploration
Nurture a creative entrepreneurial mindset
Identify characteristics of the entrepreneur
Introduce critical entrepreneurship skills
Present a holistic approach with emphasis on the development of the entrepreneurial mindset
Understand the history and impact of entrepreneurial psychology/trauma
Establish placement within the entrepreneurship ecosystem

BE THE MOVEMENT

DONATE NOW

ARTS AND CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS’ COHORT: BUILD x CONNECT x CREATE

Our vision is to transform emerging and established artists of all mediums into entrepreneurs and business owners. Artists and creatives will have the tools to pursue new markets and maximize their passion.

VISION

MISSION

To advance the business management skills and capacity of Black artists through training sessions, workshops, and resource connections. The Cohort fosters a supportive ecosystem to sustain artists and creatives.

PURPOSE/COMMITMENT

Train artists on general business principles
Provide coaching to arts-based businesses
Facilitate the organizing and licensing of cohort participants into established businesses
Enroll cohort businesses into GWUL’s Center for Financial Inclusion programs, tracking fiscal and qualitative progress
Stimulate multi-generational wealth creation and legacy building
Close the racial wealth gap

Arts

BLACK RESTUARANT ACCELERATOR PROGRAM

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 RECIPIENTS OF THE BLACK RESTAURANT ACCELERATOR PROGRAM GRANT!

Eight local Black-owned food service businesses received $10,000 each. The funds will help them elevate their business whether that's through staffing, marketing, or other operational needs.

Over the past three years, we have awarded sixteen businesses in total. Earlier this month, we honored each grantee during our culminating ceremony. Thank you to our partners, Pepisco Foundation, and National Urban League's Entrepreneurship Center for making this program possible.

For more information, please contact Associate Director, Furard Tate, at ftate@gwul.org