The second-year initiative builds on MWW’s commitments to advance DE&I and social justice among small business founders
MikeWorldWide (MWW), a leading independent integrated public relations agency, today opened the application for its second-year pro bono PR program supporting small business founders and entrepreneurs from under-represented communities. Eligible applicants must represent businesses owned by people of color, women, or members of the LGBTQ community, and earn less than $5 million in annual revenue. The application can be accessed on the agency’s website and will be open until 11:59 pm ET on Friday, September 17, 2021.
Two small, diverse-owned businesses will be selected to enter a six-month pro bono engagement with MWW that will commence in the fall. Agency executives will work with the selected applicant teams to customize a PR program that will best support the company’s brand purpose and business goals. Services include, but are not limited to, media relations, social and digital strategy, search marketing, influencer marketing, brand messaging development, executive media training, creative services, as well as research & analytics.
“As an independent company with entrepreneurial roots, giving back to small businesses, nonprofits, and purpose-driven companies through pro bono PR has always been deeply embedded in our company culture,” says Michael Kempner, founder and CEO of MikeWorldWide. “Our expanded focus on supporting diverse-owned businesses specifically reflects our commitment to use our resources to help level the playing field for disadvantaged founders.”
Amber Micala Arnold, VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at MikeWorldWide, adds, “Founders and entrepreneurs from underserved communities are confronted with a number of challenges in scaling their business, many of which stem from systemic racism and structural discrimination which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. We know the value that good PR can bring to a company’s growth, so we are grateful that we can give underrepresented founders an extra boost to support their business.”
The agency’s overarching “MWW Cares” corporate social responsibility platform focuses on using the power of communications to elevate the communities in which we live and work. The pro bono program for small businesses was introduced in 2020 as a corporate initiative to advance equality and social justice in the workplace, in the communications industry, and in the communities it serves. In its pilot year, MWW invested over $200,000 in pro bono services to support Black women-owned businesses, including PUR Home, Yubi Beauty and R3 Score Technologies.
“Working with the team at MWW was an amazing experience – I had never worked with a PR team before,” says Angela Richardson, founder of PUR Home. “They were extremely helpful in giving me tools to work with media, they stretched me in areas of thought leadership, and secured great media opportunities to share the brand story of PUR Home.”
Applications for the program can be submitted here before September 17th. Selected applicants will be notified by October 15, 2021.
Thirty-four years young, MWW is among the world’s leading independent, full-service PR agencies with talent hubs across the US and the UK. It prioritizes CorpSumerTM insights, cultural currency, and earned-worthy impact to create integrated programs that turn brands’ reasons to believe into audiences’ reasons to care. Because more than ever, Caring Counts.
MWW combines corporate reputation, consumer marketing, crisis & issues management, and public affairs expertise with dedicated strategy, analytics, DE&I, digital, and creative and content teams.
