SheaMoisture and Brown Girl Jane Want to Give Black-Owned Indie Brands $250,000
Back in June, you might have noticed the hashtag #BrownGirlSwap in your social media feeds. The initiative, started by CBD-centric personal-care brand Brown Girl Jane, encouraged people to replace at least five of their favorite beauty and wellness products with products from brands owned by Black women. And now, this brilliant idea is getting a boost from a generous new partnership with SheaMoisture.
SheaMoisture, known for its beloved skin- and hair-care products, has announced a $250,000 grant fund and programming that provides industry support and entrepreneurial resources for Black-owned independent beauty and wellness brands.
"Our partnership with Brown Girl Jane comes from our shared mission to support and uplift Black-owned businesses," SheaMoisture CEO Cara Sabin said in a press release. "We are inspired by the brand's three dynamic founders and are honored to partner with industry peers and continue SheaMoisture’s mission of reinvesting in our communities."
The founders are just as excited about the project. "We are so proud to work alongside SheaMoisture to enhance the #BrownGirlSwap. Enduring change requires an evergreen, multifaceted program to begin creating equity in this industry," Brown Girl Jane co-founder and CEO Malaika Jones Kebede said in a statement. Kebede's sister, chief impact officer Nia Jones, added, "We always envisioned a program that would target key areas that have historically impaired Black businesses and take action to remove those roadblocks. Expanding this in such a significant way, through the support of SheaMoisture, is going to help countless female entrepreneurs and generations to come."
The revved-up initiative is bolstered by five components: Amplify, which promises to lift up the visibility of Black, female-owned, indie brands through more established voices; Fund, which is where the $250,000 grant comes in, offering not only money to Black-owned startups and indie brands but also business-to-business mentorship opportunities; Empower, which involves a virtual Black to Business Summit designed to give industry founders and leaders a space to learn, collaborate, and network; Diversify, which will introduce a new paid internship program for Black college students in an effort to expand Black representation at major beauty companies; and Swap, the continuation of the #BlackGirlSwap challenge.
"This collaboration will bolster and create space for so many emerging brands and in turn, do far more than cutting a check," said Brown Girl Jane's chief brand officer Tai Beauchamp.
For more information on SheaMoisture's partnership with Brown Girl Jane and the #BrownGirlsSwap grant program, visit browngirljane.com/swap.
More on Black-owned beauty brands:
Target Created an Online Badge to Identify Black-Owned Brands on Its Site
15 Black-Owned Beauty Brands That Have Won Allure Best of Beauty Awards
Now check out 100 years of Black hair:
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Originally Appeared on Allure
