Support for Women Entrepreneurs in Arkansas

The Arkansas Women’s Business Center (AWBC) is pleased to announce that AWBC Director Chauncey Holloman Pettis has been named a member of Common Future’s Bridge Fellows 2020 initiative. 

Common Future is a network of leaders (re)building an economy that includes everyone. Their initiatives shift capital, uplift local leaders, and advise the development of equitable economies. They are working toward a vision of economies that work for all people. Common Future Bridge Fellows are leaders of community-based nonprofits, social enterprises, entrepreneurial support organizations, and other entities that are focused on closing the racial wealth gap by supporting entrepreneurs and improving the physical and economic health of their communities. Chauncey and seven other fellows were chosen from hundreds of applicants and represent five southern states.

The Common Future Bridge Fellows initiative will support fellows through a combination of in-person immersions and virtual experiences to deepen relationships with the cohort. Specifically, the fellowship will include: two 2-3 day experiential learning convenings held in different regions of the United States where fellows will learn from site visits and experiences unique to each place; virtual engagement to reinforce the work, deepen relationships from the convenings, and dive into learnings from the curriculum; and resources to advance each fellow’s leadership development through an Individual Learning Plan.

Chauncey has decided to highlight the AWBC’s Momentum project with her Common Future Bridge Fellow grant. AWBC will host the 3^rd Momentum cohort in 2021 to provide 10 minority woman-owned businesses with professional development training, mentorship and seed funding for business development. The five-week accelerator will lead to the launch and expansion of the selected 10 new minority woman owned businesses in Arkansas.