Comcast RISE designed to help small business owners thrive, boost entrepreneurship in Atlanta
Eligible businesses can apply May 1-31 for an award package; 100 recipients will be selected
Comcast today announced it will award grant packages to 100 small businesses in and around Metro Atlanta as part of its Comcast RISE program. Comcast RISE’s goal is to support the growth of small businesses in locations across metro Atlanta and surrounding areas while advancing digital literacy and equity. The grants will include resources and programs designed to bring digital equity closer to reality in Atlanta, including business coaching sessions, education resources, a $5,000 monetary grant, creative production, media schedules, and technology makeovers.
Digital equity is achieved when people have access to affordable internet, a computer and the digital skills and resources they need to succeed in school, work and business, regardless of which part of Atlanta they live in or how much money they make.
“Deep, long-term investments are needed in our communities to make digital equity a reality in Atlanta. Programs like Comcast RISE can help close the digital divide and help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, in turn, helping to further grow Atlanta’s economy.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens
Atlanta-based small businesses can apply to receive packages through Comcast RISE that include:
- COACHING SESSIONS – Business assessment and coaching that provide business owners with recommendations on how to help grow their businesses.
- EDUCATION RESOURCES – 12-month access to online entrepreneurship courses, learning modules and resources for small business owners.
- MONETARY GRANT – $5,000 monetary grant.
- CREATIVE PRODUCTION & MEDIA – Professionally produced 30-second TV commercial, a 180-day linear media schedule, and a media strategy consultation. (Taxes and other fees may apply for production and media services.)
- TECHNOLOGY MAKEOVER – Computer equipment and Internet, Voice and Cybersecurity services for 12 months. (Taxes and other fees may apply for tech makeover services.)
In addition, any small business owner can visit the Comcast RISE destination on X1 featuring aggregated small business news, tips, insights, and more. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the voice remote.
Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s $1 billion commitment to advance digital equity through programs and community partnerships that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators.
More information and the application to apply for the grant program are available at www.ComcastRISE.com. The application period will be open May 1 – May 31.
“At Comcast, we want people to have unlimited possibilities. Project UP’s goal is to provide services and support programs designed to close the digital divide, teach digital skills and promote entrepreneurship,” said Melinda Little, Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Investment. “The initiatives and support we’re announcing today build on our more-than-decade-long local efforts to close the digital divide and will advance digital equity in Atlanta.”
History of support and partnership in Atlanta
Comcast has been leading, supporting and partnering with local non-profits, government agencies and other partners on digital equity initiatives in Atlanta for over a decade, and recently announced support for a local initiative:
- $1 million to the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) for initiatives designed to advance black entrepreneurship, including: Digital RICE, an AI-powered platform designed to help Black entrepreneurs navigate business opportunities and challenges; The “Level UP” Speaker Series, featuring industry trailblazers, wealth creators, influencers and innovators; and The RICE Data Science Initiative, which provides data on and solutions to issues surrounding Black entrepreneurship.
“Black entrepreneurship is a cornerstone of Atlanta’s booming economy,” said Jay Bailey, RICE President and CEO. “Through RISE and its generous gifts to RICE and other local organizations under Project UP, Comcast is investing in Atlanta’s entrepreneurs and its future.”
In the last three years alone, Comcast has made more than $48.5 million in donations to Atlanta-based organizations and initiatives focused on digital equity. In addition, since 2011, Comcast has connected more than one million low-income Georgians to the Internet at home through its Internet Essentials program, which provides low-cost broadband Internet service to eligible low-income families. Comcast has also opened 12 Lift Zones in Atlanta. Lift Zones are safe spaces in community-based organizations that provide free Internet access. Students can come to Lift Zones to do schoolwork. Adults can come to build digital skills, access healthcare and other services and search for jobs.
