Finance

Staff       With a reported net worth of $6.7 billion, Robert F. Smith repeats as the United States’ richest black man according to Forbes’ 36th annual ranking of the world’s billionaires. Smith—you’ll remember— paid off the entire student loan debt of the Morehouse College graduating class of 396 students in 2019…

It is often said that Jay-Z does nothing small. Proof of that is his latest business move in the Cannabis market. The billionaire rap mogul and his cannabis company, The Parent Company, have acquired the Coastal Dispensary for a reported $56.2 million, with the additional option of equity in other stores bumping the…

Staff American Express—in a joint campaign with the U.S. Black Chambers (USBC)— has announced the expansion of ByBlack with the first national certification program exclusively for Black-ownership designation. First created as a directory of Black-owned businesses, ByBlack provides businesses an approved accreditati…

Daymond John, star of ABC’s Shark Tank, is once again teaming up with Lowe’s Home Improvement stores for it’s “Making It” program, which offers businesses a once-in-a-lifetime shot to pitch their product to top Lowe’s executives. The product pitching competition strives to provide diverse entrepreneurs the opportuni…

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Lendistry, a Black-led-and-operated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), will be accepting applications April 28 through May 4 for a fifth round of funding in the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. Late last year, the state selected the…

Staff More relief for local Los Angeles small business owners is on the way. A new fund, the LA Regional COVID Fund, for small brick-and-mortar businesses, specifically in the personal care and retail sectors, has been launched. A total of $4.7 million in financial aid will be available through the “Keep our Shops o…

Staff President Biden’s administration has heeded advice from housing advocates and are once again extending a federal moratorium on evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Set to expire on Wednesday, the moratorium is now extended to the end of June. It is a moratorium first initiated by the Centers for Disease Con…

Bo Tefu | California Black Media Business and Labor leaders are joining hands with women working in male-dominated industries in California, stepping up their participation in the fight for gender in the state. They say the time is now to advocate for equal pay for women. According to the National Partnership for Wo…

Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media Direct cash relief is coming to Californians soon. Both the state and the federal government have begun issuing stimulus checks to Americans. The American Rescue Plan, which includes the third and largest round of federal COVID-19 stimulus of the pandemic so far, was signed i…

Lisa Collins, Publisher It was billed as a way those 55 and older, severely disabled, or victims of a wildfire or natural disaster could move without being hit with a prohibitive property tax bill.  Sounds good, doesn’t it?  Better yet, was the assertion that a portion of the revenues raised from Prop 19 would provi…