Comcast today announced it will award an additional $1 million in grants to 100 small businesses owned by women and people of color, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian American owners, among others, bringing the total to $2 million in Oakland to date. The application window will run from October 3 -16, 2022. Oakland was one of five cities, including Chicago, Miami, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., that was selected to award $10,000 grants to 100 local businesses. The Comcast RISE has awarded $21 million nationwide to date.

Through RISE, Comcast has also announced it will support 13,000 small businesses, owned by people of color and women, with monetary grants; a TV campaign, production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv; or computer equipment, internet, voice or cybersecurity from Comcast Business by the end of 2022.

“My business was deeply impacted by the pandemic. However, the technology makeover and the $10,000 grant from the Comcast RISE have helped me not only to keep my business afloat but to thrive,” said Tamika Miller, Owner of Cuticles Nails Spa in Oakland and two-time RISE recipient.

“When we launched Comcast RISE, we knew a profound need existed in many of the communities we serve,” said John Gauder, Regional Senior Vice President of Comcast California. “We have now seen firsthand how the program’s marketing and technology resources benefit small business owners who continue to work hard and rise above 2020’s impact. Today, with Oakland receiving additional funding as a Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant city, we are excited to see how this infusion of funding will continue to propel businesses to thrive. We know the impacts will be fruitful and far reaching, especially with this year’s program expansion for women-owned businesses.”

In addition, Comcast RISE invests in ongoing mentorship and resources to help businesses succeed over the long-term. The program has partnered with , an online platform for entrepreneurs, to provide grant recipients with business coaching to help build skills in company foundation, growing customers and financial stability. All Comcast RISE recipients will also have a specialized online networking community within Ureeka with access to educational resources, sources of capital, and vetted experts such as U.S. Black Chambers, National Asian Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Association for Enterprise Opportunity, Walker’s Legacy and Operation Hope.

“Ureeka is proud to partner with Comcast RISE to grow small businesses nationwide with coaching and digital services,” said, Melissa Bradley, Co-Founder, Ureeka. “We know there are stark disparities in access to capital and resources for entrepreneurs of color and women entrepreneurs. The additional coaching and digital resources that these businesses receive, in addition to potential monetary funding, will help these businesses gain valuable skills and opportunities that will help them move from survive to thrive.”

Comcast RISE was formed in late 2020 to give small businesses owned by people of color, from bakeries and barber shops to childcare centers and cleaning services, the grants needed to not just survive, but thrive. The more than 9,500 recipients are from 704 cities across 37 states. In November 2021, Comcast RISE announced a major expansion to all women-owned businesses nationwide.

Comcast RISE Marketing and Technology Services

In addition to the Investment Fund, Comcast RISE, which stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment,” provides the opportunity for small businesses owned by people of color and women nationwide to apply for grants for one or more of the following support focus areas with the opportunity to receive one.

• Marketing Services Grant: The following services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and its creative agency, Mnemonic, are designed to help recipients with their marketing and media campaigns, including:

  • Media: A linear TV media campaign to run over a 90-day period.

    • Creative Production: Turnkey 30-second TV commercial production, plus a media strategy consultation and a 90-day linear TV media campaign.

      • Consult: Digital audits by Ureeka in the form of Website Repair Reports and SEO Keyword reports to target website mechanics and effective organic marketing
• Technology Makeover Grants: The state-of-the-art equipment and technology upgrade from Comcast Business includes computer equipment as well as internet, voice and cybersecurity services for up to a 12-month period. (Taxes and other fees may still apply for tech makeover services.)
• Monetary Grants: In round one, which was in April of 2021, the Comcast RISE Investment Fund provided $5 million in grants to 500 small businesses owned by people of color in five cities: Philadelphia/Chester, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit. In round two, which was in September of 2021, the Comcast RISE Investment Fund provided $6 million in grants to 600 small businesses in six cities: Miami, Houston, Oakland, Seattle, the Twin Cities, and Washington, D.C. In round three, the Comcast RISE Investment Fund provided an additional $5 million in grants to 500 small businesses owned by people of color and women in five cities: Atlanta, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the Twin Cities. As noted above, in round four, the Comcast RISE Investment Fund will provide $5 million in grants to 500 small businesses in Chicago, Miami, Oakland, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Over 500 California small, diverse-owned businesses have received grants, marketing, and technology services from the Comcast RISE program, 160 of which are based in Oakland. Last year, Comcast unveiled the for laptops and mobile phones, highlighting California small, women and diverse-owned businesses that have received grants, marketing and technology services from the program. Comcast’s is a user-friendly digital map that collates and presents key information about local businesses throughout Northern and Central California who have benefited from the Comcast RISE program. This interactive directory makes it easy to support California’s small businesses owned by people of color that have been hardest hit during the pandemic.

All eligible applicants will receive a monthly Comcast RISE newsletter with educational content, and all small business owners can visit the Comcast RISE destination on the X1 platform featuring aggregated small business news, tips, insights, and more. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the X1 voice remote.

Comcast RISE is part of , the company’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.

More information and the applications to apply for either the grant program or marketing and technology services are available at .

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on connectivity, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit for more information.

About Comcast Business

Comcast Business offers Ethernet, Internet, Wi-Fi, Voice, TV and Managed Enterprise Solutions to help organizations of all sizes transform their business. Powered by an advanced network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is one of the largest contributors to the growth of Comcast Cable. Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and has emerged as a force in the Enterprise market; recognized over the last two years by leading industry associations as one of the fastest growing providers of Ethernet services. For more information, visit or call 866- 429-3085. Follow on Twitter and on other social media networks at .

About Effectv

Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps local, regional and national advertisers use the best of digital with the power of TV to grow their business. It provides multi-screen marketing solutions to make advertising campaigns more effective and easier to execute. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Effectv has a presence in 66 markets with nearly 35 million owned and represented subscribers. For more information, visit .

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on connectivity, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit for more information.

Adriana Arvizo