FAQ
Momentum Ground for Change is the nonprofit arm of Momentum Coffee, Chicago’s Black-owned, community-rooted café network. We focus on building economic ecosystems where local residents—specifically Black entrepreneurs—act as the owners and drivers of their own community’s prosperity.
While the cafés serve as high-quality neighborhood hubs, the nonprofit (Ground for Change) provides the infrastructure and education behind the scenes. We manage the incubator programs, technical assistance, and community-based initiatives that help local founders move from an idea to a sustainable business.
This is a hands-on training program designed for early-stage food entrepreneurs. We host two cohorts per year (10 entrepreneurs each), providing a clear pathway to market.
● Key Support: Licensing, compliance, and technical assistance.
● Market Access: Pop-ups and vendor opportunities within the Momentum Coffee network.
You can find Momentum Coffee locations serving as neighborhood anchors in:
● South Loop
● Austin
● Millennium Park
While our primary incubator focuses on food, our broader mission is to catalyze community-owned empowerment across retail, construction, and housing enterprises led by residents of the neighborhoods we serve.
It means shifting away from extractive economic models. We aim to keep wealth within the South and West Sides by ensuring that the people living in these neighborhoods own the businesses, the land, and the equity, creating a cycle of generational wealth.
Our expansion is neighborhood-driven. We align our build-outs and sourcing with local partners to ensure we are strengthening existing community infrastructure and circulating dollars locally.
We prioritize vendors who have moved through our structured support system to ensure long-term success. The best way to become a vendor is to apply for our Build Momentum Food Incubator program. * Where to Apply: Visit momentumcoffee.org/programs to view open cohort applications.
You can support our mission by:
- Visiting our cafés: Your patronage fuels our neighborhood hubs.
- Mentorship: Sharing your expertise with our incubator cohorts.
- Donations: Helping us lower capital barriers for neighborhood founders.
Contact Us
Reach out to us for any general inquiries, details on catering services, collaborations, event space rental, or to explore exciting opportunities to join our team!
