Beyoncé Helps Vegan Black-Owned Business Raise $10,000

South Carolina-based vegan Black-owned business Herban-Eats recently received a $10,000 grant from music icon Beyoncé. The grant came from the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund, which was created in 2020 by Beyoncé’s nonprofit BeyGood in partnership with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Founded by Dawn Hilton-Williams, Herban-Eats is a multifaceted vegan wellness company that offers catering, coaching services, cooking classes, food delivery, community outreach, and more. 

Operating on 1.5 hours of sleep, Hilton-Williams completed the application for the grant in her car and was thrilled to learn that Herban-Eats was chosen as a recipient. “Immediately humble and grateful, this couldn’t have come at a better time for herban-eats.com,” Hilton-Williams announced on Instagram. “I post this to encourage others to not just create businesses for the primary purpose of making a lot of money but instead, make a real effort to align your purpose with your business and go about doing the work of making a meaningful difference in the lives of people you desire to serve. Make the kind of impact that will carry them long after your service to them ends.”

To date, the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund has distributed grants to 715 businesses to help them weather the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, including Tennessee-based vegan shop The Pink Bakery and confection company Good Girl Chocolate.