The company has awarded $125,000 in grants since 2020 to benefit Black-owned businesses

To kick off Black Business Month, Kinetic Business today announced another expansion of the Black Business Support Fund. Now customers in the Kinetic footprint in New York State, Ohio and Pennsylvania, along with previously eligible businesses in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area; Georgia, and Lexington, Kentucky, can take advantage of this grant.

The fund seeks to increase the number and stability of Black-owned businesses located within Kinetic’s service footprint. Beginning today, Kinetic will accept applications for the awarding of grants to eligible businesses in the three Northeast states.

Since the fund’s launch in late 2020, businesses selected for the grants have received a grand total of $125,000 in cash awards. If chosen, each small-business grant recipient will receive $2,500 in cash and a year of free internet for their business. The selected businesses will also get a free consultation from Kinetic Business on processes and products that could improve efficiencies and make their business more profitable.

One recent Fund winner, Mickeayla Clark-Brockington, who operates BOSS Office, a Douglas, Georgia, retail business that provides payroll service, tax preparation service and financial management consulting to clients, says that winning the prize package from Kinetic meant the difference between keeping her store open or closing it down.

“I don’t know how my own small business would have survived without this grant, especially during the pandemic,” she said. “Honestly, right off the bat, it paid the rent and utilities. Also, you have to understand that my customers, who are mostly people of color, include hair stylists, restaurant workers, truckers and others who either don’t know how to use the computer or don’t have access to one. Thanks to Kinetic, I could keep my internet on, and that way, continue to give these folks the digital presence they need to help their own businesses thrive.”

To be eligible for a Black Business Support Fund grant, a business must:

• Be a new or current small business in one of the following market areas that Kinetic serves, receiving broadband Internet from Kinetic: Charlotte, North Carolina, area; Lexington, Kentucky, or in the states of Georgia, New York, Ohio or Pennsylvania;
• Be Black-owned and have 25 or fewer employees;
• Not be currently engaged in bankruptcy proceedings;
• Not be a nonprofit organization, liquor store, check-cashing agency, gun shop, pawn shop or adult entertainment business, and
• Not apply for multiple businesses.

Funds will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. Applicants should check Black Business Support Fund website for full terms and conditions and application process.

Kinetic has a long history of partnering with business and residential customers to connect communities to what’s important. Kinetic by Windstream is committed to deploying fiber to communities across the 18-state Kinetic footprint. This multi-year, $2 billion investment expanding fast, reliable connection allows residential customers gig speeds to navigate the internet safely from home with no lag times while they work, learn or stream entertainment services. Businesses ranging from small shops to large enterprises can take advantage of the fiber-backed network to deploy solutions that make their companies more efficient and profitable such as OfficeSuite UC® and SD-WAN.

About Kinetic

Kinetic by Windstream is a business unit of Windstream, a privately held communications and software company. Kinetic provides premium broadband, entertainment and security services through an enhanced fiber network and 5G fixed wireless service to consumers and businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states. The company also offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the U.S. Additional information is available at KineticBusiness.com. Follow us on Twitter at @GoKineticBiz.

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