Maryland Invests $800M in Minority Businesses

Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore is championing a vision of inclusive growth, focusing on empowering communities and ensuring economic opportunities for all residents. Drawing inspiration from her family’s legacy of service and community involvement, she’s a driving force behind initiatives aimed at creating pathways to work, wages, and wealth, particularly for Black and minority-owned businesses.

A Foundation in Service

Dawn Moore’s commitment to public service is deeply rooted. Growing up with parents who were a teacher and a union construction worker, and a grandfather who served in the military and helped build the World Trade Center, she learned the value of community engagement early on. This foundation led her to restart the NAACP chapter on her college campus and pursue a career in service.

Her career spans over two decades in government relations, nonprofit work, corporate partnerships, community organizing, and campaign strategy. She played a significant role as an architect of her husband, Wes Moore’s, successful campaign for governor, making him Maryland’s first Black governor. Now, as First Lady, she’s focused on ensuring that no Marylander is left behind, a principle inspired by Governor Moore’s military background.

Economic Empowerment Initiatives

Under Governor Moore’s administration, the state has taken significant steps to support its residents. Recently, $62 million in state funding was deployed to ensure Marylanders receive SNAP benefits amidst the ongoing government shutdown. Dawn highlighted this as an example of “leadership with empathy and compassion,” demonstrating the governor’s commitment to his promises.

Dawn’s personal platform centers on women’s economic empowerment, children’s mental health, arts and culture, and military families. This includes an annual luncheon celebrating women trailblazers and the successful launch of the Preakness Festival. In collaboration with Governor Moore, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, and the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, the festival aimed to create significant economic impact.

The Preakness Festival, which launched alongside the historic horse race, tapped various Black-owned businesses for production, generating an economic impact of $40 million. Dawn has set an ambitious goal to scale this to $400 million, emphasizing the intentional effort to seek out and support local vendors. The event successfully attracted around 15,000 new attendees, with plans for continued growth.

Investing in Technology and Innovation

Maryland is also making substantial investments in the technology sector. The state supports innovation through organizations like the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), providing significant funding for technology businesses. “I am proud that we make significant investment into technology businesses,” Dawn shared. “We have invested about $800 million in minority- and Black-owned businesses.”

This investment, coupled with the state’s focus on creating “pathways to work, wages, and wealth,” positions Maryland as a leader in fostering inclusive economic development. Dawn expressed hope that AFROTECH™ will consider Maryland for future events, further strengthening the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.