Spectrum Reach Uplifts Multicultural Small Businesses

Our Pay It Forward program is our commitment to provide equitable opportunities and advertising resources to small businesses. Since 2021, we’ve empowered over 2,000 multiculturally-owned businesses with grants to access best-in-industry advertising tools, innovative creative services, and valuable resources.

See for yourself

Enabling Entrepreneurs with the Resources to Grow Their Businesses and Thrive

Each small business we select gets a complimentary TV & streaming advertising campaign and commercial, as well as educational resources, mentorship, and inspiring connections to other entrepreneurs in a vibrant community. It’s a big part of our effort to support the local businesses where we live and work.

Get the details on Pay It Forward

2000+

multiculturally-owned businesses.

$50M+

in media, resources, and creative services.

$10M

in small business grants.

Featured Pay It Forward Alumni

Businesses Thrive when Communities Connect.

We’re proud to highlight Donny Harper of GO(O)D Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, as one of the very first members of the Pay It Forward Program. Donny partnered with Spectrum Reach to create a commercial and get his business on TV. Spectrum Reach helped him reach his community and spread the good word about his business—and his good attitude.

Visit the Learning
Center

Explore the Business Directory

Learn More About Pay It Forward

Your Questions Answered.

Pay It Forward is Spectrum Reach's commitment to inspiring and growing underserved businesses. The program awards grant packages to multiculturally owned businesses nationwide. These grants include

  • Complimentary TV and streaming ad campaigns
  • Creative services
  • Educational resources
  • Business-building mentoring and insights

Since 2001, over 2,000 diverse grantees have received more than $50M in media and services through Pay It Forward. In 2024, 250 additional businesses will be empowered through grant awards.

The program fulfills Spectrum Reach's commitment to foster growth and opportunity within diverse communities.

Spectrum Reach is committed to supporting the economic growth of all small businesses, while advancing the objectives of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as community investment.

We welcome applications from multiculturally owned businesses. For detailed eligibility, visit our Terms & Conditions.

From advertising grants to educational resources, the benefits are designed to propel your business forward. Check out our About page for more.

To be eligible for a Pay It Forward grant, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • You must be a legal resident of the United States currently residing in an eligible designated market area (DMA). The participating DMAs include Albany, Alpena, Austin, Bolivar, Buffalo, Central NY, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Dayton, Dyer, Evansville, Flint, Greensboro, Greenville, Ashville, Honolulu, Huntsville, Kansas City, Lexington, Los Angeles, Louisville, Marquette, Myrtle Beach, Milwaukee, Montgomery, New York City, Orlando, Paducah, Raleigh, Rochester, St. Louis, Southwest Ohio, Tampa, Tuscaloosa, and Terre Haute.
  • Your business must have been in operation for at least one year as of the application date.
  • You must not have active or pending bankruptcy.
  • Your businesses cannot have done any advertising with Spectrum Reach in the past 13 months.
  • A business cannot be a competitor of Sponsor (including its Spectrum, Spectrum Business or Spectrum Reach divisions), as determined by Sponsor.
  • Your business must be a for-profit organization.
  • A business must be legally registered to do business in an eligible market.
  • Preference will be given to any business that is 51% owned, operated, and controlled by an ethnic/racial minority, which may include Asian American, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American or Pacific Islander.

Meeting these eligibility requirements allows you to submit an application for consideration in the Pay It Forward program grant selection process.

The Pay It Forward grant recipients are carefully selected through a competitive review process. Applications are evaluated by a selection committee based on these criteria:

  1. Completeness of the application submission.
  2. Demonstrated need for the grant by the qualifying business.
  3. A clearly articulated plan for how the business will achieve growth goals if awarded.
  4. Ways the business aims to uplift their local community through advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives or investing in the economic health of the area.

Applications are scored by the review committee across these qualification areas. Top applicants that best meet the criteria will be selected to receive a 2024 Pay It Forward grant package.

The process is designed to identify motivated and deserving multicultural businesses that demonstrate need, readiness for growth, and commitment to community. If you have additional questions on the selection process, please contact our team.