As we applaud the completion of one group, we are excited to have kicked-off Cohorts VI to VII in 2021 to date. We are actively recruiting and enrolling a new cohort of businesses every other month. Click here to learn more about the BEI program and how to apply.
Cohort V Graduates with FBE Leadership Team
Rachel Rochat, Tenequity Consulting
Socrates De La Cruz, De La Cruz Real Estate Group and Glynn Lloyd, FBE Executive Director
Evan Silverio, CEO Silverio Insurance, Diana Ubiñas, FBE Program Manager, and Katiria Adorno-Vasquez, FBE Foundation Administrator
Tameka Moss, FBE Senior Experience Manager
Glynn Lloyd, FBE Executive Director, Ramon Quezada, Labor On Site, Amiel Vargas, Labor On Site,
Glynn Lloyd, FBE Executive Director and Cassandria Campbell, Co-Owner Fresh Food Generation
Ricardo Pierre-Louis, Owner of Prive Parking and Gloria Porras-Velasquez, Co-founder of Imagix Studio
Tameka Moss, FBE Senior Experience Manager, Lisette Paukert, MCCI Residential Services Manager, and Steven McGuire, MCCI Loan Officer
Wendy Estrella, Co-Founder Estrella Enterprises and Evan Silverio, CEO Silverio Insurance
Andrew Tarsy, Founder Emblem Strategic and Dakota Jones, Sr. Diversity Consultant In Order Business
Massachusetts businesses and donors could benefit from $375,000 in state tax credits recently awarded to Nectar Community Investments.
The credits give donors a 50% break on their state taxes for contributions to Nectar, a community development financial institution that assists small-business owners and homeowners with guidance and capital.
The nonprofit works in Massachusetts communities where there’s usually not much access to either.
In a news release Tuesday, Nectar said it received the maximum award under the Community Investment Tax Credit Program of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Read the article
Small Business Loan Officer Kristin Wallace recently served on a panel at the City of Lawrence’s Capital Access event, where she connected with local small business owners, startups and aspiring entrepreneurs about how Nectar’s products can support their growth. We caught up with Kristin after the event to hear her perspective on the challenges that small businesses face in accessing capital and what resources are available to them here in Massachusetts.
For small businesses looking to grow, what are some of the biggest barriers in accessing capital?
Many of the entrepreneurs we serve face systemic barriers that go far beyond credit history or collateral. Racism, language access challenges, immigration status, gender bias, and limited access to fair and affordable financial products all contribute to persistent funding gaps. Capable, experienced business owners in historically disinvested communities are often denied capital because traditional financial systems were not designed with their experiences or realities in mind. As a result, entrepreneurs of color, women business owners, and low-income entrepreneurs are frequently underfunded — not because they are underprepared, but because the system itself is not equitable.
What is Nectar doing to overcome those barriers?
Nectar is committed to reimagining how capital flows to historically disinvested communities. We …
Nectar Community Investments, a community development financial institution (CDFI) and community development corporation (CDC), has received $375,000 in tax credits from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program. Nectar received the maximum award, which incentivizes donors with a 50 percent refundable state tax credit to support the organization’s work of providing capital, advisory services and other assistance to small business owners and homeowners.
“We’re grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for this impactful award, which recognizes the integral role that CDCs like Nectar play in building generational wealth in Massachusetts,” said Nectar Executive Director Glynn Lloyd. “As we continue in our mission to grow the assets and wealth of underserved communities, we encourage donors across the Commonwealth to take advantage of this win-win opportunity: earning state tax credits while investing in economic mobility, climate resilience and more.”
Since its launch in 2012, the CITC program has been a flexible, unrestricted and integral source of funding for CDCs and civil society organizations (CSO), promoting local innovation and long-term impact. At Nectar, CITC contributions seed new programs and drive innovations, support ongoing programs and operations, fill funding gaps, and leverage other resources. Donors receive a 50 percent …
