The Columbus City Council approved $500,000 for Zora’s House to help build a $4.5 million coworking center in Weinland Park for women of color to help them start businesses.
“Women of color are the fastest-growing population in Franklin County,” LC Johnson, founder and CEO of Zora’s House, said before the City Council approved the funding on Monday.
The building will include a coworking space on the first floor, bedrooms for a residency program on the second floor and subsidized office space on the third floor.
The Columbus Foundation and the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing have each contributed $250,000 to the project. Johnson said other funders include JP Morgan Chase, Victoria’s Secret and Alliance Data Systems, now Bread Financial.
Construction should begin in October and be finished by fall 2023.