78 www.blackeoejournal.com Black EOE Journal
SUPPLIER DIVERSITY
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he U.S. Department of Treasury announced plans to deploy $300 mil- lion of State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Technical Assistance funding to support small businesses across the country. $200 million of these funds will be provided to states, the District of Columbia, territories and Tribal governments that are participat- ing in the SSBCI capital program to provide technical assistance to qualifying underserved entrepreneurs and very small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. Another $100 mil- lion of funds will be transferred to the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) at the Department of Commerce, which will focus its technical assistance on helping underserved entrepreneurs seeking direct capital invest- ment, such as venture capital financing. Underserved entrepreneurs and very small business owners face multiple barriers to pur- suing their ideas, including limited access to capital and the lack of a network of techni- cal support. That is why the SSBCI program was specifically designed to provide techni- cal support funding to these entrepreneurs to help their businesses grow and thrive as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. This historic investment in traditionally underserved communities will help mitigate some of the barriers that prevent underserved small businesses or very small business own- ers from getting their ideas off the ground, building successful businesses and creating jobs. Through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) of 2021, the SSBCI program will provide $10 billion to states, the District of Columbia, territories and Tribal governments for small business programs, including $500 million for technical assistance programs. Of the $500 million allocated in the ARP for tech- nical assistance programs, the announcement includes plans for the first $300 million. Technical assistance funding will provide a range of assistance - legal, accounting and inancial services - to businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically dis- advantaged individuals (SEDI-owned busi- nesses) and very small businesses applying to the SSBCI program or other jurisdiction
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U.S. Treasury Deploys Millions to Underserved Small Businesses
or federal programs that support small busi- nesses. These funds will help businesses grow and thrive while strengthening networks of technical assistance providers across the country that have experience in providing high-quality technical assistance to small busi- nesses in underserved communities, likely led by founders that have faced barriers to capital access, or that have 10 or fewer employees. Treasury also released the Technical Assistance Grant Program Guidelines for the $200 million in technical assistance funds for states, the District of Columbia, territories and Tribal governments. The allocations are weighted based on prior allocations that were released as part of the SSBCI capital program, which are linked to populations living in high- poverty areas and unemployment statistics in each jurisdiction. The Guidelines are designed to ensure that high-quality technical assistance funding effectively reaches both SEDI-owned businesses and very small businesses. These guidelines enable technical assistance to be used for qualifying small businesses in a range of industries, including small manufacturing enterprises, clean energy businesses and other small businesses seeking SSBCI funding or funding from another jurisdiction or federal small business program. In addition, Treasury will require eligible jurisdictions to provide a plan that prioritizes contracts with SEDI- owned technical assistance providers. Treasury and Commerce are also jointly announcing a historic transfer of $100 million to the MBDA, which has a mission to promote the growth and competitiveness of minority- owned businesses. Underserved entrepreneurs have tradition- ally lacked access to capital and often experi- ence even greater disparities in access to ven- ture capital financing. This significant fund- ing being transferred to the MBDA will help ensure that more SEDI-owned businesses have the tools they need to succeed at home and abroad, said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. Moreover, MBDA, which focuses on the long-term health and success of SEDI busi- nesses, is uniquely situated to provide tech- nical assistance and help SEDI-owned busi- nesses be successful in applying to SSBCI capital programs and other State or Federal Programs that support small businesses. With this transfer, the Biden-Harris Administration reaffirms its commitment to supporting SEDI businesses especially when it comes to build- ing a better America. MBDA will tap into its extensive national network of partners to drive and recruit new program partners and SEDI participation while utilizing MBDA's decades long expertise in overcoming historical distrust of governmental programs by SEDIs. MBDA plans to facilitate a range of technical assistance to small busi- ness, with a particular focus on providing sup- port to entrepreneurs seeking venture capital inancing and other forms of equity financing. Additionally, the agency will facilitate a suite of additional supportive services, such as intel- lectual property education and resources. SSBCI will provide recipient jurisdictions capital funding for venture capital programs, loan participation programs, loan guaran- tee programs, collateral support programs and capital access programs. SSBCI fund- ing is expected to catalyze up to $10 of pri- vate investment for every $1 of SSBCI capital funding, amplifying the effects of this funding and providing small business owners with the resources they need to sustainably grow and thrive. Treasurys guidance will help ensure that technical assistance available under SSBCI is available to small businesses for whom pri- vate capital is particularly scarce, including for small businesses in underserved areas.
Source: Minority Business Development Agency
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