Lever for Change announced nonprofit microlending platform JUST as the recipient of the inaugural Jack Dilenschneider Award for Social Justice.
The Jack Dilenschneider Award for Social Justice is an annual grant funded by the Dilenschneider family in honor of John J. "Jack" Dilenschneider to recognize outstanding organizations working on social justice. This annual $10,000 award will be made to one of the top teams that applied to a recent Lever for Change competition.
This year, JUST will receive the inaugural $10,000 award in recognition of their work with low-income Latina and Black women in Texas to start small businesses and close the racial wealth gap. JUST was a finalist for the Lone Star Prize in 2021.
"JUST is a wonderful inaugural awardee to honor Jack Dilenschneider’s lifelong commitment to social justice. While there are other micro-lending programs in the U.S., JUST focuses on the intersection of race and gender to create economic ownership opportunities for women of color who are denied loans from traditional lending institutions."
Cecilia Conrad, CEO, Lever for Change
Female entrepreneurs involved in JUST’s program lead community-based peer-coaching groups and participate in educational programs to grow their business and financial health. JUST builds community, resulting in a strong, supportive network of businesswomen empowering other Texan women to become financially stable and build assets.
The Dilenschneider Award was awarded to one Bold Solutions Network Member in 2021 and 2022 to recognize outstanding organizations working on social justice.