The 7th Annual Silver Soirée

Celebrating New Mexico Entrepreneurs.  Proceeds support the HOPE Loan Fund

Helping small businesses lift off!

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) business owners possess a strong entrepreneurial spirit, but business ownership rates trail those of non-minority groups and failure rates are high. WESST is committed to supporting diverse entrepreneurs as they overcome obstacles to business ownership by providing consulting, training and access to capital.

Historic trends contribute to racial gaps in entrepreneurship and business performance, especially when it comes to accessing business capital. Diverse entrepreneurs tend to start their businesses with less capital compared to their non-minority counterparts. Lack of initial wealth, financial literacy, education and managerial experience also present barriers for diverse entrepreneurs who try to access capital.

To address racial and income inequities, WESST launched the HOPE Fund (Helping Open Possibilities for Everyone) in 2020, a “no barriers to accessing capital” approach for people of color and low-wealth New Mexicans. In addition to providing 0% interest, no fee loans with an opportunity to have a portion of the loan principal forgiven, the HOPE Fund will also surround borrowers with supportive capacity-building business services to increase the likelihood of long-term business success.

In 2021, all proceeds from the Silver Soiree will be utilized to grow and strengthen the HOPE Fund. Your support is key to helping WESST continue making capital accessible for marginalized entrepreneurs. Please help us continue to support small businesses by facilitating access to no-cost capital for diverse entrepreneurs who have had significant challenges in accessing small business capital.

Download the 7th Annual Silver Soiree Information packet HERE or to learn more, please contact VP of Development Katie Knipe at 505-246-6935 or email at kknipe@wesst.org.