Black Chesapeake Business Owner Receives $10,000 Beyonce Grant

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Kimberly Outlaw, who owns the Chesapeake vegan bakery Sweet Cravings, is busy stirring and whipping up more confectionary delights, thanks to a recent $10,000 grant from Beyonce.

Outlaw, who creates sweet treats in her home bakery, was awarded $10,000 by Beyonce’s BeyGOOD Grant. In September, the renowned recording artist, actress and philanthropist announced that she was donating an additional $1 million to a grant program established between her foundation, BEYGOOD, and the NAACP for minority-owned businesses that are struggling amid the pandemic. Outlaw was one of 250 entrepreneurs who received an award.

“I was checking my business email, and it said, ‘You are a recipient,’” Outlaw said in recent news reports. “I had to read it four times, and I didn’t comprehend what I was reading. I screamed — I’m still in the same disbelief.”

Beyonce, a 13-time Grammy winner launched a foundation and civil rights organization that helped to create the Black Owned Small Business Impact Fund, a partnership that awards grants of up to $10,000 to African American entrepreneurs that suffered damages or lost property amid the wave of unrest that swept the nation in response to the police killing of George Floyd.

“We assisted organizations across the country that were providing people with basic needs like food, water, household supplies and COVID testing,” Beyonce said on her website. We also provided mental health support.”

The first round of submissions closed on July 18, and the second round started nearly a month later, on Aug.17, 2020. To date, 20 businesses have received awards from beyonce.com.  

Beyonce, age 39, started her singing career at age 8, rose to fame in the 1990s and released her debut solo album “Dangerously in Love” in 2002. She has received a total of 24 awards and 79 nominations from the Grammy Awards for her music. She is the second-most awarded person in Grammy history with a total of 24 awards and 79 nominations from the Grammy Awards for her music.

In July she released “Black is King,” a new visual album inspired by The Lion King: The Gift.   

Beyoncé’s net worth is estimated to be $400 million, according to Forbes. One of the world’s highest-paid celebrities, she married Jay-Z in 2008. They have three children.