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Support flourishing founders!

Support Local Entrepreneurs

Through our culturally responsive programs, we provide entrepreneurs of color with business know-how and mindset coaching so they have the resources they need to persist in confronting the systemic obstacles that were designed to hold them back. By making a donation to support ConnectUP!, you’re not just backing individual entrepreneurs – you’re fueling a movement.

You can help us reach our $10,000 goal!

ConnectUP! Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your generous donation is 100% tax-deductible.

With as little as $10, you can join us supporting, connecting and advocating for BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+ and rural founders in Minnesota!

Introducing Our New Recurring Donor Program

With as little as $10/month, your recurring donation ensures that we have the resources to continue providing culturally responsive back-end support for emerging BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+ and rural founders. Here are just a few of the exciting things we have on deck for 2024:

Expanding staff and organizational capacity
Launching the new and improved Lunar StartUPs & Capital Readiness Accelerators
Growing the Integrated Capital Fund to make more investments in scaling founders

If you’re already monthly donor or have made a recurring contribution this year, you will be grandfathered into our new giving program!

Your donation helps us continue to support trailblazing founders like those in the first cohort of our Integrated Capital Fund:

Junita Flowers

Junita’s Jar

Bella Lam

Coconut Whisk

Melanie Lewis

Perfect Piece Sweets

Sabrina Jones

SJC Body Love

Martena Jones

Fabolous Diva Boutique

We prepare BIPOC, women and rural entrepreneurs to scale and create culturally-informed pathways that build authentic, values-aligned relationships that support founders in growing their businesses.

We also provide opportunities for collaboration across the ecosystem, hands-on support, action-driven workshops and education, and investor and ecosystem development.

All of ConnectUP!’s work is led by Black women. Our programming prioritizes women of color and is informed by the lived experiences of Black women – but all are welcome. We believe when we work for the most marginalized, we do better for all. This has been our secret to success.

You have the power to help us continue supporting the entrepreneurs you know and love in the community. Here’s the impact that your donation will have:

$250

Provides a founder with two hours of executive coaching.

$250

Provides a founder with two hours of executive coaching.

Donate

$500

Provides a founder with five hours of mindset coaching.

$500

Provides a founder with five hours of mindset coaching.

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$1,000

Allows a founder to implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

$1,000

Allows a founder to implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

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$2,500

Covers the cost of travel and registration to key industry trade shows.

$2,500

Covers the cost of travel and registration to key industry trade shows.

Donate

$5,000

Supports five founders in our Garage StartUP! program, which provides micro-grants to MN BIPOC businesses.

$5,000

Supports five founders in our Garage StartUP! program, which provides micro-grants to MN BIPOC businesses.

Donate

$7,500

Supports 3 months of CEO circles for founders to meet, network, and solve business challenges with industry-adjacent founders and subject matter experts.

$7,500

Supports 3 months of CEO circles for founders to meet, network, and solve business challenges with industry-adjacent founders and subject matter experts.

Donate

$10,000

Enables a founder to purchase equipment for scaling or support our general operations to grow our innovative programs supporting Black and Brown founders.

$10,000

Enables a founder to purchase equipment for scaling or support our general operations to grow our innovative programs supporting Black and Brown founders.

Donate

ConnectUP! Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit organization (EIN: 85-2918250). Your gifts to ConnectUP! Institute are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Consult your tax advisor for more information.

Donate

Support Local Entrepreneurs

Introducing Our New Recurring Donor Program

Junita Flowers

Junita’s Jar

Bella Lam

Coconut Whisk

Melanie Lewis

Perfect Piece Sweets

Sabrina Jones

SJC Body Love

Martena Jones

Fabolous Diva Boutique

We prepare BIPOC, women and rural entrepreneurs to scale and create culturally-informed pathways that build authentic, values-aligned relationships that support founders in growing their businesses.

You have the power to help us continue supporting the entrepreneurs you know and love in the community. Here’s the impact that your donation will have:

$250

$250

$500

$500

$1,000

$1,000

$2,500

$2,500

$5,000

$5,000

$7,500

$7,500

$10,000

$10,000

Subscribe

Subscribe

Help Us Reach Our $10,000 Give to the Max Day Donation Goal!