Kevin Hart’s Gran Coramino Tequila Teams Up with LISC for New Round of Grants to Fuel Growth for Black and Latinx Entrepreneurs
Being a successful entrepreneur is hard if you can’t dream big. That’s why LISC, Gran Coramino and Kevin Hart are teaming up again to offer $10,000 grants to help fuel small business growth for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who face systemic obstacles to accessing capital.
The Coramino Fund opens application for $10,000 awards for 50 small businesses
NEW YORK, November 29, 2023—Gran Coramino® Tequila, founded by entrepreneur Kevin Hart and 11th-generation tequila maker, Juan Domingo Beckmann, has launched the application for a new round of grants from The Coramino Fund, the brand’s giveback program. In concert with LISC, Gran Coramino’s U.S. impact partner, the Fund makes $10,000 grants and offers learning opportunities for Black and Latinx small business owners without access to sufficient growth capital.
Entrepreneurs can apply for the grants at lisc.org/grancoramino through Dec. 5, 2023. Awards will be announced in early 2024.
Kevin Hart, co-founder of Gran Coramino Tequila, noted, "The Coramino Fund is not just about grants – it's about building a legacy of economic empowerment and generational success. The impact our first year of collaboration with LISC had on Black and Latinx small business owners was inspiring to see. With this new round of support, we're continuing to help break the barriers that have held talented entrepreneurs back from achieving their dreams,” he said
The Fund’s inaugural round of funding, which opened in late 2022, attracted interest from more than 20,000 entrepreneurs spanning every state. “For me as a business owner, the hardest thing to secure is new staff members while also expanding programs for the community, especially for youth and elders,” commented Martin Boyd Jr., owner and founder of Redemption Body Wellness, which was funded in the first round. “This grant gives me the opportunity to do just that.”
"The Coramino Fund is not merely a financial boost for small businesses; it's a transformative force for aspiring entrepreneurs,” added Michael T. Pugh, LISC CEO. “We're eager to continue leveling the playing field for under-resourced Black and Latinx small business owners. Together with Gran Coramino Tequila, we are supporting sustainable businesses, quality jobs and economic growth that will enrich lives and uplift communities across the nation.”
In addition to announcing its U.S. grants, The Coramino Fund will launch its next round of entrepreneurship programming in Jalisco, Mexico in early 2024.
Gran Coramino was established in 2022 by comedian and entrepreneur Kevin Hart and 11th-generation tequila producer Juan Domingo Beckmann. Co-created alongside Global Brand Equities and Proximo Spirits, the venture seamlessly blends Hart's passion for tequila with Beckmann's expertise in spirits making. The Coramino Fund — the brand’s give-back program now in its second year — was developed to reflect the pair’s dedication to giving back to their communities.
About LISC
LISC is one of the country's largest community development organizations, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across America. LISC works with residents and partners to close systemic gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity and advance racial equity so that people and places can thrive. Since its founding in 1979, LISC has invested $29.7 billion to create more than 489,000 affordable homes and apartments, develop 81.4 million square feet of retail, community, and educational space, and help tens of thousands of people find employment and improve their finances.
About GRAN CORAMINO™ TEQUILA
Gran Coramino is a tequila brand founded by two world-class masters of their crafts, Juan Domingo Beckmann and Kevin Hart. Launching first with Gran Coramino Reposado Cristalino, the tequila is matured in Eastern European oak barrels, finished in California Cabernet wine casks, and slow-filtered for smooth flavor and crystal-clear color. The brand expanded with an Añejo expression on September 14, 2022, offering a silky smooth tequila taste with a long and sweet cognac-laced finish.