Cincinnati Access Fund provides $3.5 million to minority-owned small businesses

"Small businesses are the fabric of our community. They are extremely important. It is important that they are successful. Provide capital and technical assistance to small companies is something we are passionate about," Fifth Third Bank CEO Greg Carmichael said. "When you are starting a small business, you need as much information as possible on the success criteria and make sure you have the adequate funding and have a business plan you can execute." The city, alongside MORTAR, Cincinnati's entrepreneurship hub, will provide the businesses for the program. "If you go to those neighborhoods again and you are driving along those main streets you see mom-and-pop main street businesses. The more of those we can create, the better we will be," said MORTAR founding partner Derrick Braziel. "Whether it is occupied storefronts, whether it's jobs or a great cupcake you never tried before. What MORTAR is trying to show is that there are people all across our city with great ideas if we just invest in them and give them a chance, it makes our city better."