Black-owned businesses represent less than one percent of all enterprises in Arizona, despite accounting for more than five percent of the state’s population. Nearly 90 percent of these entrepreneurs are first-generation business owners, building companies without the inherited knowledge, networks, or financial safety nets that sustain generational enterprises. In a state where many residents are transplants who have left family and community support behind, these factors compound to create significant economic vulnerability and limited access to resources that are critical for growth. WHY OUR WORK IS NECESSARY According to the Institute for Policy Studies and Prosperity Now, without focused intervention, the median net worth of Black households is projected to fall to zero by 2053. Yet research also shows that increased business ownership among Black entrepreneurs could be a powerful driver of wealth creation and community stability. ACRES is working to shift this trajectory by equipping entrepreneurs with education, mentorship, and access to capital—removing barriers that have long limited growth and sustainability. By expanding opportunity and encouraging ownership, ACRES helps build a more equitable and resilient economic future for Arizona. ACRES is strategically positioned to address these disparities by creating pathways that increase Black business ownership, strengthen generational succession, and build the essential infrastructure for long-term entrepreneurial success. Through comprehensive education, mentorship, and access to capital, ACRES equips entrepreneurs with the tools to start, scale, and sustain thriving enterprises. Our initiatives foster intergenerational transfer of business knowledge and assets, ensuring that success is not momentary but enduring. By closing the racial wealth gap through ownership and empowerment, ACRES aims to make Arizona a national blueprint for how communities can unite to cultivate opportunity, invest in local talent, and elevate brilliant minds from historically underserved backgrounds into lasting prosperity. OUR GOAL WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT PLEASE CONSIDER A TAX DEDUCTIBE DONATION TO HELP FURTHER OUR MISSION