Pontiac Times

Small businesses and nonprofits in Pontiac are getting a helping hand from a collaboration of local philanthropic and corporate groups.

The Pontiac Funders Collaborative will support businesses with 10 or fewer employees that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by launching a $200,000 emergency support fund.

This Small Business Capital Relief Fund will add to $159,000 in emergency grants made to critical service agencies in the area. The Collaborative also plans to provide capacity-building grants to nonprofits in Oakland County.

The corporate and philanthropic partners of the Pontiac Funders Collaborative are: Ballmer Group, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation, Flagstar Bank Foundation, General Motors Co., New Economy Initiative, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Tauber Family Foundation and William Davidson Foundation.

Frejya Harris, former chief administrative officer of the Detroit Employment Solutions Corp., will serve as project director.

A long-range plan spanning three years, the initiative will focus on workforce development, entrepreneurship, public spaces and support.

"The Pontiac Funders Collaborative is still early in its efforts but has already begun working in close partnership with local government and nonprofit organizations over the last several months to support development of a collective plan intended to help strengthen Pontiac and its institutions and contribute to residents' ability to thrive," said Lavea Brachman of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and one of the cochairs of the new fund, according to Crain's Detroit.

The relief fund is designed to provide capital assistance for up to 100 businesses in the city.

The first round of funding opened May 18. Applications were due May 26, and those awarded grants were notified June 4. A second round of applications is being accepted beginning June 8.

Home-based businesses will receive grants of up to $2,500, and brick-and-mortar businesses will receive grants of up to $5,000.

"It is important for us to give back to the communities in which we serve, and our hope is that through this collaborative, we can help Pontiac continue to build upon its legacy as a great place to live and as a vital city to southeast Michigan's culture and economy," said Sonia Plata, director of the Flagstar Bank Foundation, according to Crain's Detroit.

More information about the Small Business Capital Relief program can be found at Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.