Sacramento, Calif. – On Saturday, during Republic FC’s annual Pride Night, the five finalists of Republic FC Kickstart – the local grant program supporting small organizations throughout the region – announced its grand prize winner, as well as the prizes for the five finalists. With the support of Suncrest Bank, the fourth edition of Republic FC Kickstart awarded another $10,500 in cash grants, raising the total in grants to $42,000 with two more editions to take place before the end of the year.
Earlier this month, fans and community members cast nearly 1,000 ballots to narrow the field of 30 LGBTQ+ owned, crowdsourced nominees to five finalists – Lavender Library, Little Sparrow Childcare, Plant Daddy Co., Strapping and Sugar Sweetery. The five finalists selected by a public vote pitched their organization to a panel of LGBTQ+ advocates and business leaders – Uptown Studios President Tina Reynolds, Rainbow Chamber Foundation President Paul Weubbe and PHPR Owner Patrick Harbison, as well as April Funston from Suncrest Bank and Dustin Vicari from Republic FC.
As selected by the panel of judges, the finalists received:
Grand Prize Grant – $5,000 : Little Sparrow Childcare
Second Place Grant – $2,500 : Lavender Library
Third Place Grants – $1,000 : Plant Daddy Co., Sugar Sweetery, Strapping Store
“Thank you Sacramento Republic FC and Suncrest Bank for the incredible opportunity that gave the LGBTQ+ small businesses of Sacramento this chance to be part of the Kickstart grant program,” said Little Sparrow Childcare Owner and Operator Carin Humphrey. “The struggles small businesses faced during the pandemic were detrimental and to be able to be granted funds to help us get back on track is just amazing! The love and support from the community was more than I expected and I am deeply grateful for this experience. Thank you so much to everyone involved and all that believe in our vision of being the change for the better. We are overwhelmed with gratitude.”
“The resurgence of local businesses is vital as the region recovers from the impacts of the pandemic. Sacramento’s small business community mirrors the diversity of the region and we’re proud to celebrate LGBTQ+ businesses, and provide resources for the organizations that will help them flourish and grow,” said Republic FC Chief Revenue Officer Dustin Vicari. “Suncrest Bank has been a tremendous partner, helping lift up the region’s business community, and we’re excited to award more business grants for incredible examples of the indomitable spirit.”
“We are thrilled to support this group of businesses with another round of grant funds. We’ve been particularly impressed by the commitments of support between these businesses and other community members as a result of the program,” said Suncrest Bank Director of Marketing Elizabeth Zennadi. “This is a testament to the mission of Suncrest Bank which is to ‘Invest in People, Commit to Community and Succeed Together.’”
Each nominated business has an opportunity to access additional, free educational services and consulting resources to support growth and development. Later this year, Republic FC Kickstart will return for two more editions to support Asian & Pacific Islander- and veteran-owned businesses.
For more information about Republic FC Kickstart, visit www.sacrepublicfc.com/SuncrestBank.
