Foundation of Little Village (The Foundation), a nonprofit with the mission of being a catalyst for the creation of wealth, cultural preservation, and corridor revitalization of Chicago’s Little Village community, announces the release of its 2022 Annual Report. The Xquina Business Ecosystem is central to The Foundation’s transformative efforts. It supports current and emerging entrepreneurs with culturally tailored business programs, technical assistance, workforce training, and capital access. The Ecosystem includes programs like Juntos Lanzamos, Emprendemos, and Avanzamos, covering business planning, marketing, strategy, and financial topics, and offering grants to qualified participants to boost their capital investments. 

In 2022, the Xquina Incubator and Café, an important element of the Business Ecosystem, completed all pre-development activities, environment remediation, and the removal of debris and demolition. Phase one of Xquina will be completed in the spring of 2024, servicing the creation of more than 40 new businesses, 15 business partnerships, and 2,500 community engagement hours.  The report concludes with highlights of The Foundation’s 2023-2025 Strategic Plan which features important objectives like mobilizing The Foundation to create the Capital & Micro-Grant Fund and establishing a Database Initiative focusing on measuring economic impact.  For more information about The Foundation of Little Village, visit https://flvchicago.org/.