(DALLAS) – The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Women of Tocqueville Fund Advisory Council announced that LiftFund Women’s Business Center, dedicated to supporting diverse women entrepreneurs, will receive its first investment from the Women of Tocqueville Fund for Women and Children. Comerica Bank will match United Way’s $50,000 disbursement, bringing the total investment to $100,000. These funds will be used to provide microloans to female entrepreneurs in the city’s southern sector, so they can successfully grow their small businesses.
“The vision for the Women of Tocqueville Fund is to create an equitable economic environment in which all women and children can achieve financial stability,” said Robbi Luxbacher, Women of Tocqueville Advisory Fund Chair. “We’re proud to partner with LiftFund to provide hardworking business owners the support they need to succeed.”
“LiftFund was founded to provide financial opportunity for diverse entrepreneurs who cannot obtain credit or loans through traditional means, because we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to build a thriving business without facing high interest rates or turning to predatory lenders,” said Tarsha Hearns, LiftFund Dallas/Ft. Worth Women’s Business Center Director. “Each dollar we lend results in a positive economic return of $14. We are proud to partner with Women of Tocqueville Fund for Women and Children and Comerica Bank to empower women entrepreneurs in our community.”
“Small businesses are vital to our communities and women are vital to our families,” said Cassandra McKinney, Executive Vice President, Comerica’s Retail Bank and Founding Circle Member of the Women of Tocqueville Fund. “This investment underscores Comerica’s commitment to serving small businesses by ensuring they have the resources they need to thrive, especially as we continue to navigate the pandemic’s effect.”
Established in 2017, the Women of Tocqueville Fund for Women and Children was created to provide targeted financial and skill-based investments in the areas of education, income and health – the building blocks of opportunity – for North Texas women and children. To date, the fund has raised $13M toward those efforts.
"We established the Women of Tocqueville Fund to ensure that our focus of improving the lives of women and children will continue in perpetuity." said Kristy Faus, who co-founded the fund with Carol March and also serves as a fund advisory council member. "Micro[1]lending, with additional educational and financial support opportunities, is only the first initiative towards our mission to provide targeted financial and skill-based investments in the areas of education, income and health for North Texas women and children."
Women of Tocqueville Fund advisory members include: Kristy Faus, Carol March, Robbi Luxbacher, Chair, Cassandra McKinney, Neena Newberry, Nancy LaVerde, Deb SoRelle, Jerome Rose, Pamela Osborne, Lynn Fisher, Tyler Riddell, Linda Yohe, and Millie Bradley. To support the effort, please visit UnitedWayDallas.org.
About United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is a community-based nonprofit organization that believes in the power of unity to create lasting change. For over 90 years, we’ve brought people and resources together to strengthen Health, Education and Income – the building blocks of opportunity. Together, we work to achieve long-term results that help our community thrive. We encourage every North Texan to be a part of the change. To learn more about United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and how to give and get involved, visit UnitedWayDallas.org.
