Comcast RISE, a multi-year, multi-faceted initiative launched to help strengthen small businesses hard hit by COVID-19, is accepting applications through May 7. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)-owned, Utah small businesses are encouraged to apply for the chance to receive consulting, media, and creative production services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, or technology upgrades from Comcast Business, based on their specific needs.
The program has provided technology makeovers and marketing services to nearly 2,500 BIPOC-owned small businesses. Comcast RISE launched in 2020 to give BIPOC-owned, small businesses, from bakeries and barber shops to childcare centers and cleaning services, the tools needed to not just survive, but thrive. Local BIPOC-owned small businesses are encouraged to review the eligibility details and apply at: www.comcastrise.com/apply/.
A national poll conducted by Small Business Majority reveals the ongoing challenges BIPOC small business owners face due to the pandemic.
- About one-third of minority-owned businesses (32 percent) have had to cut employee hours
- Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) have temporarily closed their doors.
- One in four (18 percent) of Black and Latino business owners say they are likely to permanently close their business, compared to 14 percent of white small business owners.
Since the program’s inception, Comcast has announced 11 Utah small businesses Comcast RISE recipients. This includes Caribbean Nightingale, Utah’s only poetry café.
“I hope that with my Comcast RISE commercial, I will be able to bring awareness to the services that Caribbean Nightingale offers,” says Michaëlle Martial. “I hope to create a brick-and-mortar location that promotes the healing power of the arts, help minority people continue to invest in themselves and provide a place where artists can sell their books and albums.”
Learn more about all Comcast RISE recipients in Utah here.
Comcast RISE, which stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength, and Empowerment,” is part of a larger Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan that Comcast launched last summer, which allocated $75 million in cash and $25 million in media over three years to fight injustice and inequality against any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or ability. Eligible businesses are able to apply for the following:
- Marketing Services: The following services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and its creative agency, Mnemonic, are designed to help recipients with their marketing and media campaigns, including:
- Media: A linear TV media campaign to run over a 90-day period.
- Creative Production: Turnkey 30-second TV commercial production, plus a media strategy consultation and 90-day media placement schedule.
- Consulting: Advertising and marketing consultations with local Effectv marketing, research and creative teams to gain insights on how to drive business.
- Technology Makeovers: The state-of-the-art equipment and technology upgrade from Comcast Business includes computer equipment as well as internet, voice and cybersecurity services for up to a 12-month period. (Taxes and other fees may still apply for technology makeover services.)
“We’ve seen firsthand how RISE marketing and technology resources benefit the business owners who are working hard to rise above 2020, as well as their neighbors who share their commercial corridors, and their suppliers and customers up and down their resource chains,” says Deneiva Knight,external affairs director, Comcast. “While no single organization can solve historic and systemic inequities overnight, we are committed to taking tangible actions that can drive long-term impact and change.”
In addition, all applicants will receive a monthly Comcast RISE newsletter with educational content, and all small business owners can visit the Comcast RISE destination on the X1 platform, which features aggregated small business news, tips, insights and more. The destination is designed to help businesses grow by empowering them through inspiration and entertainment. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the X1 voice remote.
Visit www.ComcastRISE.com to apply, for more information and the latest updates.
