WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This week, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s cabinet for America’s 33 million small businesses, met with Community Navigator Pilot Program (CNPP) participants alongside National Economic Council (NEC) Director Lael Brainard and White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling to discuss the transformational effects the program has had in helping historically underserved small businesses access timely support.
President Biden’s American Rescue Plan provided a monumental investment in the nation’s small businesses, including the creation of the Community Navigator Pilot Program, which is designed to reduce the barriers small businesses face in accessing critical support – including those owned by underserved groups such as veterans, women, rural communities, and people of color. The Community Navigator program provided competitive funding to 51 organizations that worked with hundreds of local groups to connect entrepreneurs to resources to help their small businesses thrive.
Small business owners at the table discussed how the CNPP provided tangible support in the form of capital, certification readiness, procurement guidance, financial literacy, and other technical assistance. In a new report in conjunction with the roundtable, the SBA highlighted how the Community Navigator Pilot Program is meeting small businesses where they are and helping to close resource, capital, and educational gaps for historically underserved small businesses by connecting entrepreneurs to trusted and culturally competent service providers in their communities. The program has successfully provided training to over 350,000 entrepreneurs, 1:1 counseling services to over 33,000 unique small business clients, and a projected $300 million in approved funding to small businesses.
Roughly 75% of small businesses reached with counseling services through the Community Navigators program had not done business with the SBA in the prior five years – illustrating how successful the program has been in reaching entrepreneurs who may have missed out on available supports in the past – and four out of five Community Navigator clients are from a traditionally underserved or underrepresented groups.
For follow-up interview requests for Administrator Guzman, please contact Rebecca Galanti at Rebecca.Galanti@sba.gov.
Event Photos: available on request press_office@sba.gov
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About The Season of Small Business
The Season of Small Business, which was established on the heels of another transformative year for small businesses under the Biden-Harris Administration, is an SBA-led initiative designed to drive Americans to shop at small businesses throughout the holiday season. For more information on the SBA’s Season of Small Business campaign, visit www.sba.gov/SeasonOfSmallBusiness.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Christine Saah Nazer U.S. Small Business Administration 202-756-0304 Christine.SaahNazer@sba.gov Rebecca Galanti U.S. Small Business Administration 202-756-0304 rebecca.galanti@sba.gov Han Nguyen U.S. Small Business Administration 202-756-0304 han.nguyen@sba.gov
