A Florida company called Grant Bae promised minority-owned businesses that it could get them grants of between $25,000 and $250,000. The higher the fee a business paid for the grant-writing service, the higher the grant it would receive; some businesses paid over $6,000.
The owner, Traeshonna P. Graham, claimed to have over ten years’ experience as an entrepreneur and grant writer. On her website she said, “Then one day I had an aha moment! I wondered how many small Minority businesses don’t think to seek grants to fund their business…I would be the go-to base and leverage for minority businesses to generate funding.” She claimed to have secured $75 million in grants in 2021.
She promoted her services on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Clubhouse; and on various forums designed to reach minority business owners. They included empowerment meetings held following the death of George Floyd and media outlets like BlackNews.com.
I wasn’t familiar with the term “bae,” so I looked it up and found it can be an affectionate term used to address a loved one or it can mean “very cool; great.” Grant Bae’s customers wouldn’t describe their experience in such glowing terms.
The FTC and State of Florida sued Grant Bae in June alleging it scammed businesses out of thousands of dollars. The complaint said that Graham deceived customers about nearly every aspect of her business, alleging she:
- Falsely promised significant returns and claimed all…
