Keybank Partners With The Eastern Area Of The Links, Incorporated To Bring Financial Resources To Women Of Color Small Business Owners And Entrepreneurs
KeyBank will conduct free Key4Women® business education workshops and provide $25,000 in micro-grant opportunities to small business owners in the communities served by Eastern Area Link Chapters
KeyBank and The Eastern Area of The Links, Incorporated, one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of professional women of African descent, announce a newly formed partnership to provide a customized Key4Women® Business Education Series and micro-grants to women of color small business owners and entrepreneurs. Through the partnership, KeyBank’s Key4Women-certified financial advisors will present a three-session virtual workshop series with access to additional Key4Women national programming targeted to the financial needs of businesswomen. The Eastern Area of the Links will leverage its reach to help connect female entrepreneurs and small business owners of color throughout its service area which extends from Boston, MA to Roanoke, VA and encompasses 80 chapters with over 4,600 members. In addition, KeyBank Foundation will provide a grant of $25,000 for micro-grants to participants who successfully complete the Key4Women program and demonstrate a business need for technical and operational assistance, and the Links will recognize their Chapters who generate the most participation.
“The Links, Incorporated is committed to enriching and sustaining the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. This exciting partnership with KeyBank supports our Eastern Area EmpowHER initiative which is designed to empower women of color to reach their full potential, including economically through the support of entrepreneurs and enterprises owned by women of color,” said Links Eastern Area Director Dr. Shuana Tucker-Sims. “We are proud to join forces with KeyBank and look forward to a productive partnership that transform lives, and helps women of color who lead businesses thrive and grow.”
Key4Women is an exclusive program offered by KeyBank that advocates, connects and empowers women as they progress on their journey to financial wellness. Established in 2005, the program is implemented through a national network of Key4Women-certified financial advisors who understand the unique needs of women entrepreneurs and leaders, and provides customized tools, programming, resources, and events specifically targeted to women and their allies.
“Key4Women shares The Link’s passion for empowering women of color to succeed,” said KeyBank’s Key4Women National Director Rachael Sampson. “We help women business clients dream big to achieve their financial goals every day regardless of where you are on your journey. We are excited to work with The Links to extend our Key4Women programming and support to a critical and often underserved segment of women business owners and entrepreneurs.”
The Links Key4Women Business Education Series will be conducted through three ZOOM sessions:
- Workshop 1 – January 27: Your Journey to Business Financial Wellness – includes an overview of creating a solid business plan, business financing, operating cashflow, credit, and more.
- Workshop 2 – February 24: Financial Wellness for Yourself, Your Employees and Your Business – optimizing business performance by offering financial wellness resources that support your employees and attract talent.
- Workshop 3 – April 28: Building Your Business Dream Team – sourcing the right set of advisors to support you and your business success.
In addition, an information session about the program will be held on Monday evening, January 18th. Interested participants can register here: https://bit.ly/3eNGzYb.
Photo caption:Â The Links Eastern Area Director, Shuana Tucker-Sims (center right) with KeyBank Key4Women National Director Rachael Sampson (far right), Key4Women Senior Initiatives Development Director, Colleen Dugarte (far left) and KeyBank Corporate Responsibility Officer, LaKisha Jordan (center left).Â
Photo credit: KeyBank
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About The Links, Incorporated
The Links, Incorporated consists of more than 16,000 professional women of color in 288 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom. It is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining, and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.
The Links, Incorporated was founded in the East in 1946 in Philadelphia, PA. Today, the Eastern Area of the Links, Incorporated has over 4,600 members in 80 chapters spanning nine states, the District of Columbia, and the United Kingdom. It’s theme, “Embracing our Legacy, Cultivating our Future” honors the organizations history of active civic, social, and cultural engagement while working to shape a better more equitable future for the communities it touches.
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About KeyCorp/KeyBank
KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187.0 billion on September 30, 2021. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
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