Titi Ikhile, Director of Lending & Consulting for Working Solutions, presented as part of a panel discussion on ‘Racial Equity Strategies: How Financial Institutions Can Effectively Support Minority-Owned Small Businesses’ on June 9. Hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, this webinar explored how the banking sector can embrace strategies that better serve entrepreneurs of color and bolster local economies.

Congratulations to Working Solutions CFO Christina Travers on being named to the Crain’s New York Business 2021 List of Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives! We are honored to have Christina on our team, and we appreciate everything she does for our organization and the entrepreneurs we serve.

Working Solutions has been selected as one of 17 community organizations to support Black and African American entrepreneurs in San Francisco through the City’s Dream Keeper Initiative. Working Solutions will provide business retention assistance, including lease review and negotiation, to support the stabilization and recovery of San Francisco’s Black and African American small business community.

Small Business Week 2021 is here! From May 2-8, join Working Solutions and our partners for a full schedule of FREE virtual events for small business owners. All week long, you can access opportunities to learn, engage, and network. Read on to see the schedules of events and find out how to register.

The sixth and final round of the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program is now closed, and applicant notifications are underway. The grant program is administered by the Office of the Small Business Advocate and Lendistry, and Working Solutions is honored to be one of the partners providing support with the application process. Learn more here.

Recognizing the role of CDFIs as financial first responders, the federal government is injecting historic levels of funding into our industry to support economic recovery efforts. In a new article from American Banker, Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi and other CDFI leaders across the country share their perspectives on the impact of this funding and the importance of sustained support for CDFIs and the communities we serve.

This week (April 5-9) is California CDFI Week! Working Solutions is proud to join our fellow Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in bringing additional visibility to our industry. Read on for exciting updates, including a visit to Oakland from Vice President Kamala Harris, a new California Senate bill that would support the state’s partnership with CDFIs, and more.

Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi was interviewed by ABC7 News for a feature on how businesses with office space in downtown San Francisco are planning and preparing for employees to return to work in the post-COVID environment. Watch the segment, which is part of ABC7’s ‘Building a Better Bay Area’ series, here.

Working Solutions stands in solidarity with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and all those fighting for racial justice and equity. We are deeply committed to a more inclusive and just economy and our work to lift up entrepreneurs of color. We are a learning organization and committed to education and resource-sharing to build connections, community, and sustainability. Read more here.

It has now been one full year since the first shelter-in-place orders went into effect across the San Francisco Bay Area in response to the growing spread of COVID-19. In the face of this ongoing pandemic, Working Solutions has remained a steadfast supporter of Bay Area small businesses. Read more in this message to our community from Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi.

Happy International Women’s Day! Today and every day, we are inspired by leaders like Lisa Mensah, President & CEO of the Opportunity Finance Network, who was recently highlighted in Forbes magazine for her role as a small business advocate during the COVID-19 crisis. Read more about Lisa and other inspiring women leaders who support small business here.