Beyond the Hype: 3 Surprising Truths About Supporting Black and Brown Entrepreneurs
What does it truly take to support Black and Brown entrepreneurs? We often hear the success stories, but the day-to-day reality of building an equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem is far more complex. The 2025 Impact Statement from Black & Brown Founders offers a rare, honest look behind the curtain, revealing truths that challenge common assumptions.
Their report goes beyond simple metrics, painting a vivid picture of immense need, surprising diversity, and the power of transparency. Here are the top takeaways from their year that everyone should know.
1. The Need is Overwhelming—And The Numbers Prove It
In 2025, Black & Brown Founders awarded two $5,000 grants to exceptional small businesses. While this provided critical support to the recipients, the most telling detail is found in the demand. These two grants were selected from a pool of over 254 applicants.
This stark ratio reveals an immense and largely unmet demand for capital within the Black and Brown entrepreneurial community. For every entrepreneur who received funding, more than 125 others were also seeking that same vital support. The numbers don't just show a need; they show an overwhelming one.
2. The Entrepreneurial Spectrum is Wider Than We Think
It's easy to assume that grant applicants are all early-stage startups struggling to get off the ground. The data from Black & Brown Founders shows a much broader reality. Applicants for the grants represented a vast range of business sizes and stages, with reported incomes ranging from $25,000 to more than $3,000,000.
This is a critical insight because it challenges the common perception of who needs support. It demonstrates that financial hurdles and the need for capital exist across the entire business lifecycle—from brand-new ventures to established, multi-million dollar companies. Support isn't just needed at the starting line; it's essential at every stage of growth.
3. True Impact Requires Radical Transparency
Black & Brown Founders had a year of significant achievements in 2025. The organization added 15 new board members and secured a major milestone with FDIC approval for its SMART Money Program, significantly enhancing its ability to help entrepreneurs overcome financial hurdles, establish sustainable operations, and build economic resilience.
But alongside these wins, the organization shared a candid admission: they fell short of their 2025 fundraising goal. The report directly states the consequence of this shortfall—they were unable to provide financial support to more entrepreneurs in need. This level of transparency is rare and powerful. Instead of framing it as a failure, it serves as an honest call to action, underscoring the critical link between community funding and direct impact. It makes the case for support more effectively than any success metric alone could.
Conclusion: Building a More Inclusive Future
The 2025 Impact Statement shows that the work of Black & Brown Founders is measured not only by its successes—like its plan to expand its grant program in 2026 using a new assessment tool to better target support—but also by its honesty about the challenges that remain. The report provides a clear-eyed view of the gap between ambition and resources in the fight for economic equity.
Seeing the clear gap between the available resources and the overwhelming need, what role can we all play in building a more equitable and well-funded entrepreneurial ecosystem?