TikTok Starts Accepting Applications For 2021 Cohort Of 'Support Black Businesses'

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TikTok has announced that applications for this year’s ‘Support Black Businesses’ are now open to black-owned small businesses.

All small businesses were tragically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but small black-owned businesses felt more of a struggle, as more than half of them saw their revenue drop – compared to 37% of white-owned businesses.

TikTok is stepping up again to show support and provide means and tools for the black-owned business community with the next cohort of the Support Black Businesses initiative.

Launched last year, Support Black Businesses gives black entrepreneurs access to an online hub where they can find community support, inspiration, exposure, and patronage. Over the last year, the initiative also saw a donation of half a million dollars to the Accion Opportunity Fund last summer, which offered some relief for black-owned small businesses at the peak of the pandemic.

This year, TikTok is partnering with Vimeo to help provide skills, tools, and support, in the hardest-hit communities to help businesses advertise in the digital space, drive sales, and rebuild their businesses.

“Video is the most engaging medium available to businesses large and small to communicate, collaborate and connect,” said Harris Beber, CMO at Vimeo.

“What we have learned from the pandemic is that using video for your business is no longer a nice to have, it’s a need to have. We’re proud to partner with TikTok on Support Black Businesses by providing our tools and expertise to help the participants harness the power of video to build their businesses.”

This year’s partnership with Vimeo means that participants in the initiative will also have access to Vimeo’s Business tier tools to create, produce, host, share, and stream pro-quality video and hands-on training.

Participants can apply before June 23, by providing some background about their business as well as a short description of how participating in the program could help them thrive.

To apply to ‘Support Black Businesses’ a business must have the following:

Less than 100 employees
Public-facing website representing their business
Offering a product or service
Current social media presence (does NOT need to have a TikTok account)
Commit to attending at least 75% of the programming offered

The initiative will go live this year between July and December with at least one event per month. 40 lucky applicants will be selected and given access to educational content, thought leadership, and roundtables with TikTok Creators, mentorship, and community support.

TikTok has announced that applications for this year’s ‘Support Black Businesses’ are now open to black-owned small businesses.

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Support Black Business is also partnering with Talent x Opportunity (TxO), an accelerator program led by Andreessen Horowitz, to provide strategic tools, resources, and networking opportunities as well as mentorship from TikTok executives.

Photo: Etsy – “Minding my own black own business” t-shirt by