Crisis Response
Emergency Relief
Systemic inequities mean Black communities are often more at risk of financial distress, particularly in times of crisis. As the COVID-19 pandemic caused disproportionate challenges for Black business owners in early 2020, we sprung into action by providing direct relief to help keep businesses open and thriving.
SheaMoisture stands ready to serve our community where they are most underserved.
$1 Million+
in COVID-19 relief funding provided in 2020, with another $1M pledged for community resilience.
Programs we supported
through the COVID-19 Relief Fund
Shots at the Shop
In partnership with the Black Coalition Against COVID, and the University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, SheaMoisture committed $1 Million in funding to engage barbershops and salons as community health advocates.
Social Justice Coalition
SheaMoisture formed the Social Justice Coalition, a $100,000 investment fund and advocacy campaign dedicated to supporting Black-led community activism and social entrepreneurship.
Unsung Businesses Fund
SheaMoisture awarded $100,000 to small, minority-owned businesses that stepped up to support their communities during the COVID-19 crisis.
Black Business Relief Fund
SheaMoisture provided business grants to We Buy Black’s top black businesses, which were in jeopardy of going bankrupt or closing.
Women of Color E-Lab
In partnership with New Voices Foundation, SheaMoisture created an e-learning platform for women of color entrepreneurs to continue to gain education, access to resources, mentorship, and advice on how to prepare for the economic downturn.
UK Salon Relief Fund
In partnership with WCAN, the SheaMoisture U.K. Salon Relief Fund awarded £44,000 GBP in grants to 10 Black, female-owned salons that were impacted by COVID-19 in the U.K.
58% of Black-owned businesses were at financial risk before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, compared with 27% of white-owned businesses
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2020
Our Work In Action
Reese Scott
Founder, Women’s World of Boxing
Program: Black Business Relief Fund
Her story
Resse Scott built Women's World of Boxing, New York City's first and only woman-owned and operated boxing gym, to provide a safe space for women to learn how to box. As the COVID-19 pandemic started taking its toll in 2020, many community-serving businesses like Reese’s were facing serious financial difficulty and the prospect of permanent closure.
In Her Words
"We’re definitely more than a boxing gym - we’re a community center and home to a lot of people. During COVID, SheaMoisture was amazing by offering grants to businesses like mine to help them stay open. I applied to different places for grants and I could feel the difference between corporations that had to meet quotas to support Black-owned businesses, and the companies that really cared if those Black businesses survived. SheaMoisture cared - not only that I survived - but that I thrived.
That’s a big difference. It wasn’t just the grant that got me through. It was knowing that I have the support of people who actually care about your business and the community you’re in service to.”