TruFund Financial Services, Inc.

TruFund's mission is to help historically disadvantaged individuals and communities create thriving and resilient small businesses and entrepreneurial ecosystems in order to close racial and economic disparities and ensure an inclusive and equitable society.

TruFund is proud to support to Ben Frierson, CEO of Ben's Distribution Center, a certified Minority Business Enterprise and African American-owned businesses located in Hunts Point, The Bronx. Ben started his company in 2006 and over the years built a thriving IT hardware supply business predominantly serving the public sector. When the pandemic severely disrupted his business, he was referred to TruFund by a local partner. TruFund was able to qualify Ben for a $75K loan for the COVID-19 Entrepreneurs of Color Loan Fund and enroll him in the New York City Interest Rate Reduction Grant program to help him unlock cash flow and manage his expenses. A few months later, Ben was admitted to TruFund's Industrial Business Leadership Program which has provided him with guidance and expertise as he diversifies into conversational AI services in the SAAS industry and targets large-scale corporate buyers. As he's experienced greater stability and growth, Ben has also recently created one, full-time job with benefits adding to his capacity to reach his goals.

TruFund is proud to support Emelyn Stewart, CEO of Stuart Cinema, and the first Black Latina to own a movie theater in New York City. Her movie theater is located in Brooklyn, New York. She received a $50,000 working capital loan through the Wisdom Fund and was able to fully retain 100% of her employees with this loan and open a multiplex. Emelyn has shared that paving the way and showing other minority women that they, too, can be business owners has been impactful. Success to her looks like no longer needing to say minority business owners are the first. As she continues to grow her business, she finds way to support other entrepreneurs‚ using her success to help lift up others. She provides opportunities for independent filmmakers and people of color to run their movie in her theater at a discounted rate so that they have a chance to qualify for an Oscar. She said, I'm not making it to the top by myself, I'm bringing people along who normally wouldn't have access. Emelyn also shared that the loan has had a social-emotional impact on her as well. TruFund approving her loan application allowed me to see that there are organizations, a group of people making sure that there is equity. And so I can tell you how happy it made me, it inspired me, it motivated me. It was just really life changing for me.