Coral Gables-based Amerant is stepping up and going local to help small businesses during the pandemic.
Though government programs and PPP loans assisted businesses throughout the country, thousands of small businesses didn’t qualify for these programs. This where the Amerant Micro-Grant Program comes in.
The pilot program funds were allocated to Branches, a local nonprofit organization serving Miami-Dade County that provides opportunities for small businesses, working families and their children by providing technical assistance and critical micro grants. It’s assistance that will no doubt ripple throughout the community as Miami’s small businesses provide more than half of the area’s jobs. One example is Bon Gout BBQ pictured above with Amerant and Branches representatives.
“Thanks to Amerant, Branches will be able to not only continue serving its many micro-businesses by providing one-on-one technical assistance and specialized training but will also be able to provide COVID-19 pandemic recovery grants to several small businesses in need of financial assistance,” said Brent McLaughlin, Branches executive director.
The Branches Micro-Business program provides recipients of a grant and their business a broad range of crucial support services, with the goals of becoming economically self-sufficient.
“We are very proud to partner with Branches and allocate our initial pilot program grant for their micro-business program,” said Millar Wilson, vice-chairman and CEO of Amerant Bank. “The survival of these small businesses is vital to our community, and we recognize that even the smallest financial barrier can be overwhelming. By working with Branches, we will be able to bring these important resources to organizations who may have no other recourse.”
For more information on Branches’ programs and services, contact Isabelle Pike at 305.206.5689 or ipike@branchesfl.org.
