Call for pitches: Ascender is giving mini-grants to Black-owned businesses in Pittsburgh

Most experts agree that to succeed, businesses need organization, a clear business plan, and a good management team. Another crucial piece? Capital — which is where Ascender wants to be of assistance. For the second year, the Pittsburgh community org for entrepreneurs has launched a mini grant program aimed at Black business owners in Allegheny County. The East Liberty-based organization will award five mini-grants ranging from $300 to $5,000, Ascender Executive Director Nadyli Nuñez told Technical.ly, “We work with entrepreneurs every day,” Nuñez said. “And we can teach them about marketing and sales all we want, [but] at the end of the day, they need money to do these things.” Apply for a mini grant Ascender has experience awarding small, directed grants. In the fall of 2023, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, it launched the Mini-Becas accelerator program to support local Latinx entrepreneurs. What Ascender’s leadership is looking for from applicants, per Nuñez, is clarity and visible effort. Knowling there’s a lot that goes into keeping a business running, Nuñez urged applicants to put care into their pitches, but to not worry about overdoing it. The production value of a pitch doesn’t matter so much, Nuñez said, “but it...