Empowering Black Entrepreneurs: Juvia's Place $300,000 Grant

Juvia’s Place announced that it will be offering a $300,000 grant to support Black businesses as a way of paying forward the support it has enjoyed over the years. The grant program, which was introduced in 2020, seeks to finance six Black enterprises to the tune of $50,000 each.

The grant is only available to qualifying Black-owned operations. The funds are meant to help these entities overcome the many challenges that new and small entities face along the way – increasing the chances of survival and growth.

Juvia’s Place is an embodiment of women's empowerment. The brand’s unique story as inspired by the founder’s experiences and drawing from Queen Nefertiti herself stands out from the rest. Speaking to WWD Studios, Chichi Eburu stated, “We know the struggles and we understand what it takes to fill in that black space in the market” – when asked about the uniqueness of her brand in the market.

Over the years, the brand has been able to use its infectious story and varied color lineup to set itself apart and attract customers looking for top-quality products that meet their needs. Juvia’s Place has also been able to take advantage of the popularity of its products among social media influencers. Its Shade Stick foundation and Liquid Blush have both gone viral on social media.

When announcing the program, Juvia’s Place noted the unique hurdles that Black-owned enterprises face. In its announcement, the brand documented how many Black entrepreneurs are forced to finance their new ventures using cash to avoid unnecessary and counter-productive debt traps. Juvia’s Place founder, Ebru, admitted in a press release, “I, like so many others, didn't have access to lending, or a trust fund.” She detailed how she had to use the little money she had to finance her venture – leaning onto others whenever possible to make sure that her dream came true.

In the press release, Juvia’s Place also noted how Black women in particular faced more challenges than everyone else. For instance, the brand mentioned that while non-Black enterprises raked in about $142,900 in average annual revenues, those owned by Black women were trailing behind with a meager $24,000. This, according to the company was indicative of the systemic issues that these entities were up against.

With Black women starting businesses at a higher proportion than other groups (at the rate of 12 percent versus 8 percent respectively), it is important to boost their chances of success by providing them with the necessary tools.

To qualify for the grant, you must prove that you are based in the United States, and own a business that is also based in the country. Furthermore, your entity must have earned gross revenue of $250,000 or less for the year 2019.

As an applicant, you were required to fill in your personal and business-related details and submit an essay on the challenges you face and how the grant money could help overcome them, on the Juvia’s Place website.