2025 East Side Saint Paul Small Business Cohort Application is NOW Open!  

Given the success of the 2024 program, we are excited to announce the launch of the next East Side Small Business Cohort in 2025. Applications will open August 18, 2025, and close September 18, 2025.

The East Side of Saint Paul is a vibrant and diverse community that has long served as a cornerstone of the city’s culture and economy. Over the years, residents have nurtured a strong spirit of entrepreneurship, offering products and services that reflect the unique needs and values of their community.

Rooted Philanthropic is proud to support initiatives that uplift and empower these community-driven efforts. In 2024, in partnership with Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Rooted Philanthropic launched the East Side Small Business Cohort to invest in the growth and sustainability of local businesses.

The inaugural cohort included ten East Side entrepreneurs who have demonstrated a positive impact on their community, with strong potential for growth and innovation. Participants engaged in an eight-week intensive training program, which provided technical assistance and hands-on learning through workshops, and courses focused on accelerating business development.

The curriculum addressed critical topics such as personal and business finance, operations, marketing strategy, leadership, and the dynamics of family-run businesses. Through these sessions, participants gained not only practical tools and knowledge but also a growth-oriented mindset to scale their businesses effectively.

Each participant received access to grant funding, along with robust networking opportunities that fostered collaboration, peer learning, and long-term support among local business owners.

Entrepreneurs like Cerresso Fort, a former professional boxer with a distinguished career, have transitioned from stepping into the ring to stepping up for his community. Born in Chicago and raised in Saint Paul, Fort is not only a boxing champion but a true community champion, too. As one of Rooted Philanthropic’s 2024 Small Business Cohort participant, he has leveraged his skills, passion, and expertise to bring something incredibly impactful to the East Side of Saint Paul: Sir Cerresso Fort Boxing and Fitness.

Tara Perron, another standout participant in the 2024 cohort, operates the Blue Hummingbird Woman Indigenous Gift Shop in Saint Paul. Tara’s business is dedicated to preserving and sharing Dakota cultural traditions through the sale of handmade quilts, beadwork, wood carvings, and more. In addition to selling cultural artifacts, Tara’s shop also serves as a space for education and cultural revitalization.

The continued success of cohort participants underscores the importance of investing in local, place-based entrepreneurship. These small businesses are creating jobs, building wealth, and strengthening social capital across Saint Paul’s East Side.

Given the success of the 2024 program, we are excited to announce the launch of the next East Side Small Business Cohort in 2025. Applications will open August 18, 2025, and close September 18, 2025. Selected Small Business Cohort participants will be notified on September 26, 2025.  The cohort will commence on October 8, 2025. To submit an application, click the link below.

2025Small Business Cohort Application

Feel free to share this information and the application link with your network of East Side small business owners and entrepreneurs!

For more information, feel free to contact Vong Thao, Program Officer Entrepreneurship & Small Business at [email protected].