Snap Inc. is launching a new six-month program where it will provide $60,000 and mentorship to “minority-owned businesses” to create content for Snapchat. The program is called 523 and is intended for small-business content creators. The deadline for the program is Jan. 31, 2022.
According to Snapchat, the “523 program is designed to support and spotlight small, minority-owned content companies and creatives that traditionally lack access and resources—particularly when compared to larger competitors and publishers. The goal is to help them build their businesses and audiences through the creation of Shows for Discover.” The social media platform defines “minority-owned” as any business that is 51% owned and operated by individuals who identity as BIPOC, women, gender non-binary, LGBTQ+, veteran, or disabled.
The selected participants will create Shows for Snapchat, which are three-to-five-minute videos that live on the Discover section of Snapchat. Discover is Snapchat’s curated content section.
Applicants must be small businesses, with gross annual revenue below $5 million, and with less than 20 full-time employees.
Twenty small businesses will be selected for 523, which will run from April 1 to Sept. 30, 2022. Participants will receive $10,000 per month for six months. They will also receive one-on-one mentorship with Snap’s content and media partnerships team to create their Shows, workshops on creative strategy and marketing, and be provided with marketing support from Snap. Program participants will also be connected with the program’s sponsors, which include AT&T, McDonalds, Nissan, State Farm, Target, Unilever, and Uber Eats.
Program applicants will be announced on March 1, 2022.