KC Mayor James announces microloan money for women in business, support for STEM
Microloans for women-owned small businesses and City Hall support for mentoring girls and young women interested in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics were announced Friday by Mayor Sly James as part of his Women’s Empowerment Initiative.
The mayor, addressing about 200 people at a WE 2.0 mini-conference at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, pledged $10,000 from the Mayor’s Office budget to the Women’s Business Center’s WE-Lend Microloan Program. He also said his office and the Women’s Empowerment Initiative supported the national Million Women Mentors initiative.
“If Kansas City is truly going to be the tech hub of the Midwest, we have to continue developing the next generation of tech leaders, and that has to include women and girls,” James said in a release from his office about the event.
The mayor also noted that every strategy of his Women’s Empowerment Initiative blueprint had either been completed or was in progress. The initiative and its blueprint were a collaboration among the Mayor’s Office, the Central Exchange, the Women’s Foundation and the UMKC Women’s Center.
The WE-Lend program provides microloans, technical assistant and access to a financial coach. Applications and more information are here and by calling 913-492-5922.
More information about the entire Women’s Empowerment Initiative is here.
Sign-up links and information about the national Million Women Mentors can found here.
The mayor noted that women working in STEM fields are far more likely to leave their jobs than women working in other professional fields.
“The good news is that mentorship is one of the best ways to close this gap,” James said. “That’s why we are signing on to this national initiative.”
The half-day mini-conference also included sessions on women-led businesses, women in STEM, workplace bullying and effective service on governing boards. A luncheon panel of corporate and organizational leaders discussed family-friendly workplace policies and work-life balance.
The Star
This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 12:14 PM with the headline "KC Mayor James announces microloan money for women in business, support for STEM."