Nonprofit Founder Opens Small Business Incubator in Arizona for Latina Entrepreneurs
Client: Stephanie Vasquez, owner of Amor Collective
Client Location: Peoria, AZ
CDFI: Raza Development Fund
CDFI Service Area: National
Small business financing
Head down to the Park West shopping center in Peoria, Arizona, and fall in love as you visit the Amor Collective (New Window) . As you walk in, you’ll be embraced by the aromas of coffee, candles, and sweet candy produced with excitement and creativity by Latina entrepreneurs. This small business incubator is the culmination of founder Stephanie Vasquez’s rally cry to empower fellow Latina small business leaders.
Last year, Stephanie reached out to Raza Development Fund (New Window) (RDF) with an innovative vision. While leading her nonprofit organization Empowering Latina Leaders in Arizona and Mujeres Mercado pop-up markets, she wanted to provide these women with a retail space to sell and promote their products while also gaining mentorship and educational resources such as skill-building workshops for their business development.
RDF provided the seed funds to help kick off this project. Later, RDF enjoyed a brainstorming session with Stephanie to give the idea a name – Amor.
After intentional planning and design, Amor Collective officially opened on August 5 – and the RDF team couldn’t be prouder!
RDF believes in the value of investing in Latina entrepreneurs – a community that is leading small business development in this country. By providing funds to bridge barriers to capital, RDF opens the door to even more possibilities for these Latina business owners.
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