Chief Funding Strategist
Over 20 years of experience in finance, public administration, small business development, and nonprofit boards. Credentialed in Grants Professional, Community Real Estate Development, and Contract Management
When it comes to supplying small businesses and government entities with business capital and funding, Cherrise Wilks is the go-to expert.
Cherrise, CEO and Chief Funding Strategist at Affinity Consulting Group, has secured over $84 million in funding for her clients. She has managed over $314 million and helped over 300 organizations secure the funding they needed to grow and expand. Her own investors include the BeyGood Foundation, Meta, PayPal, the SBA, CDFIs, and more.
An experienced administrator with more than 2 decades of experience in the federal, state, local government and private sector, Cherrise now supports businesses through her educational academy, The Fund Finders®, her podcast, Beyond Bootstrapping®, and her second company, GovCo Group.
No matter where she is, her goal is the same: to provide business owners with new ways to think about money and funding.
Cherrise is on a mission to help 1,000 small businesses in overlooked communities elevate their financial game. She is sharing her knowledge so they can gain access to funding through additional lines of credit, securing grants, or winning local or federal contracts.
But her commitment to uplifting small businesses goes far beyond her clients. A board member of Tech and Flow and Black Innovation Leaders of Florida, Cherrise is also the Community Development Expert with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (FEMA). With FEMA, she helps states identify public-private partnerships and funding to assist communities with rebuilding after major hurricanes.
Her message to businesses is simple: Your net worth is your network. If you know how to find funding opportunities and you’re able to go and talk to a bank, investors, venture capitalists, or other people who you want to get money from, that’s half the battle.
Through her online courses and book, 5 Proven Steps to Find Business Funding, Cherrise teaches small business owners what they need to do to gain access to capital funding through additional lines of credit, grants, cash, loans, and contracts.
Let's Collaborate! Training & Guide Partnerships
Interested in Partnership Opportunities?
Let's explore ways to integrate our proven financial guides and training into your programs. We can email a course catalog upon request!
We desire partners who want to enhance client offerings with expert financial resources from practitioners. Our training focuses on the step-by-step instructions for securing funding, government contracting, coupled with strong accountability and a community! We do not provide overview training!
Indicate your partnership interest in the Tell Us About Your Request Section (i.e. Training Integration, Guide Licensing, Consultation with Affinity Consulting, or Other).
