The Golden State Warriors and United Airlines are recipients of the 2023 Beyond the Check Award in Economic Impact from the San Francisco Business Times as part of their Corporate Philanthropy awards, it was announced today by the publication. Beyond the Check recognizes the team’s efforts to go beyond cash giving to a deeper level of philanthropy. Each year, the San Francisco Business Times recognizes five companies that are focused on giving beyond monetary donations and engaging employees and customers in volunteerism and philanthropy. The Warriors were previously awarded the Beyond the Check Award in 2018 and 2021 in the Youth Development and Community Impact categories respectively.
The Warriors and United Airlines are being recognized for Franchise Fund, a program aimed to support economic development in Bay Area communities and provide equitable opportunities for entrepreneurs. The five-month program is designed with the help of the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council (WRMSDC) to help minority-owned small businesses in the Bay Area become corporate ready and provide them the resources to become certified as minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), the nation’s leading third-party certifier.
In May, the Warriors and United Airlines celebrated the graduation of the third cohort of Franchise Fund. To date, 53% of participating businesses in the program are women-owned and 57 businesses, who employ a total of 584 employees, have graduated from Franchise Fund. On average, graduating businesses have seen a 29% revenue growth since completing the program, with many earning their first multi-million-dollar contracts.
To participate in Franchise Fund, Bay Area-based small business owners must apply and be selected to participate. Throughout the course of the program, business owners are required to attend bi-weekly virtual workshops, which are led by the WRMSDC and feature representatives from the Warriors and United Airlines. Workshop pillars include access to capital, finance and accounting, operational excellence, workforce development, and more. By ensuring minority-owned businesses are prepared to meet corporate demands, job creation and wealth in underserved communities can be accelerated. Franchise Fund helps support this commitment by aiding Bay Area minority-owned businesses in becoming prepared to work with large organizations like the Warriors. Applications are now open for Franchise Fund’s 2024 Cohort at warriors.com/franchisefund.
In January, Franchise Fund won the Inclusive Innovation Award at the 2023 NBA Sales and Marketing meetings, recognizing a specific innovative program that advances inclusive practices and is evaluated against criteria related to the program’s innovation, inspiration, and impact. Additionally, in May, Franchise Fund was awarded the Four Pillars Award from the WRMSDC which recognizes an organization that has gone the extra mile to advance certification, development, connection and advocacy.
Other 2023 Beyond the Check winners include Ripple and Eat.Learn.Play Foundation, Community Health; Visa, Community Impact; Genentech, Education; Deloitte, Sustainability; and Turner Construction, Workforce Development.