Hennessy has launched Unfinished Business, a $3 million program committed to help small businesses power through the immediate financial challenges of COVID-19 and ensure they have the resources needed to get back on their feet. Several communities are bearing a disproportionate share of the health and/or economic consequences of this global crisis and these are the communities this program is aimed at supporting.
Beginning in June, the platform will donate to support small business entrepreneurs, with a vision to continuously replenish funds so that this first donation is not the last. In addition to capital, the program will also provide access to information, educational content and other assets to help safeguard continuity during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
In order to provide immediate relief, Hennessy has enlisted three national organizations already working to support businesses in their respective communities. Unfinished Business will provide funds to One Hundred Black Men, the Asian American Business Development Center, and the Hispanic Federation to ensure support is distributed directly at the community-level among those who need it the most.
To support the Unfinished Business program that Hennessy and Droga5 have cooked up together is this film directed by NYC-based Haley Anderson whose work often explores race and the ever-growing class divide. Soundtracked by jazz pianist Julius Rodriguez, featuring artists from Brooklyn’s MOCADA gallery, the film captures stories of seven small-business owners of color, speaking in their own words, about the challenges of the current moment, as well the longstanding, systemic issues this crisis has exacerbated.
“Built for community by community, Unfinished Business is an extension of our legacy supporting multicultural consumers and underscores our ‘Never stop. Never settle.’ ethos,” said Giles Woodyer, SVP, Hennessy US. “We want to do all that we can to help the small businesses survive the current crisis and pledge resources for the long term; as long as they have unfinished business to settle, so do we.”
