STATEN ISLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION

“The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce is proud to have received a grant from Amplify Her Foundation. The grant will be the seed from which we will grow our new Leading Ladies Collective, a first-of-its-kind program for our Chamber. The cohort will consist of women from all stages of Staten Island’s small business community, and will provide leadership development, network growth opportunities, the development of best practices and business strategies, digital literacy, and much more. We are so excited to launch this program, and thank Amplify Her Foundation for the opportunity.”
— Linda Baran, President and CEO, The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce

MISSION 

The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to provide members with the tools they need to succeed, including advice, technical assistance, access to capital, education, and training resources. The Chamber established the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Foundation in 2000 to support and advance small business and business technology development in Staten Island through charitable, educational and commercial revitalization programs. 

 
 

GRANT PURPOSE & IMPACT

Amplify Her Foundation funding will support a new pilot initiative, called the Leading Ladies Collective. This inaugural cohort will bring together 12 women-owned business enterprises in Staten Island for a 6-month duration. The cohort will participate in a series of leadership development programming that will deliver education on financial counseling, marketing strategies, and digital tools/technology. Members of the Leading Ladies Collective will become a resource to one another as they discuss the issues and challenges facing underrepresented women in New York City, share best practices, and develop comprehensive strategies to build social and economic power. 

The Leading Ladies Collective will also provide much needed direct mentorship through access to local business experts, and a direct connection to the Chamber’s internal small business specialists helping to further develop their business models. The program will include roundtable discussions, workshops, and activities providing opportunities for members of the Leading Ladies Collective to build resiliency, access new markets, and become future leaders and mentors in their community. The Leading Ladies Collective will provide the entrepreneurial education these women need to support their visions of earning income to support themselves and their families, while they pursue building wealth to enhance economic mobility.

The Chamber envisions that Leading Ladies Collective will lead the way for other entrepreneurs to become transformative changemakers in the community by building long-term wealth in diverse communities.

With support from the Amplify Her Foundation, 12 women entrepreneurs in Staten Island will receive free entrepreneurial resources and small business support through the Leading Ladies Collective, the first and only of its kind program for small women business owners on Staten Island.