Nominator Comments:
Paul is recognized for the design, development, and co-leadership on the Black-focused Employment Social Enterprise Idea Accelerator, which is an initiative making the Toronto Enterprise Fund more accessible to organizations led by and serving the Black community. Paul reached out to Black leaders to understand barriers Black social entrepreneurs were facing, and how best to dismantle those barriers. He incorporated the feedback and suggestions from the consultation process, made new connections and relationships, and worked hard to incorporate equity into the redesign of the workshop and process. Through feedback from the co-facilitator and Accelerator participants Paul learned how best to adapt our processes, as well as what the core pieces that should remain unchanged. The Black-focused ESE Idea Accelerator was a success with 83 applications received across the region, and 20 accepted.