{"id":11452,"date":"2021-05-26T13:47:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T17:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=11452"},"modified":"2021-05-26T13:47:28","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T17:47:28","slug":"sba-launches%e2%80%af-community%e2%80%afnavigator-pilot%e2%80%afprogram-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2021\/05\/26\/sba-launches%e2%80%af-community%e2%80%afnavigator-pilot%e2%80%afprogram-application\/","title":{"rendered":"SBA Launches\u202f \u2018Community\u202fNavigator Pilot\u2019\u202fProgram Application"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
SBA Launches\u202f\u2018Community\u202fNavigator Pilot\u2019\u202fProgram Application$100\u00a0million\u00a0competitive\u00a0grant\u00a0program\u00a0to strengthen outreach to businesses in underserved communities\u00a0enacted through\u00a0the\u00a0American Rescue Plan<\/em>

The\u202fU.S. Small Business Administration<\/a>\u00a0(SBA)\u202fannounced today that it is accepting applications for its new Community Navigator Pilot Program. This new initiative, established by the American Rescue Plan, will\u00a0leverage\u00a0a community navigator\u00a0approach\u00a0to reach our nation\u2019s smallest businesses, with a priority focus on those\u00a0owned by socially and\u00a0economically disadvantaged\u00a0individuals, as well as women and veterans.\u00a0SBA will accept applications through\u00a0July\u00a012, 2021,\u00a0and anticipates making award decisions by\u00a0August\u00a02021.\u00a0The Biden-Harris\u00a0Administration has made delivering equitable relief to hard-hit small businesses a top priority\u00a0and will continue to take steps to ensure equitable distribution of relief.\u00a0\u00a0

\u201cThe\u00a0Community Navigator Pilot Program\u00a0<\/a>is a crucial addition to our SBA programs because it helps us to connect with small businesses that have historically been underserved or left behind. These businesses \u2013\u00a0the smallest of the small\u00a0in rural and urban America,\u00a0and those\u00a0owned by women, people of color,\u00a0or veterans \u2013 have suffered the greatest economic loss from this pandemic,\u201d said\u00a0SBA Administrator\u00a0<\/strong>Isabella Casillas\u00a0Guzman<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ll be using a hub and spoke model in local regions across the nation to bridge the gap between local entrepreneurs and\u00a0SBA\u2019s resources\u00a0and programs. If we\u2019re going to build back better, we need to ensure that all entrepreneurs have the support they need to recover.\u201d

In\u00a0February\u00a02021, Congress\u00a0met to provide a blueprint\u00a0on assistance\u00a0to small businesses\u00a0with provisions\u00a0under the American Rescue Plan.\u00a0Members of Congress met with\u00a0constituents\u00a0to discover at local levels, the impact of the pandemic and the effect it is having on businesses that may have been left out in early rounds of\u00a0relief.

\u201cI\u2019ve spoken to small businesses in every corner of Arizona. Far too many of them, especially tribal and minority-owned\u00a0businesses\u00a0and those in rural communities, have been unable to get the support they need,\u201d said\u00a0Sen.\u00a0Mark Kelly\u00a0of Arizona<\/strong>.\u00a0It\u2019s why I fought to include the Community Navigator Program in the American Rescue Plan because it will help meet Arizona small businesses right in their communities, including\u00a0providing assistance\u00a0for Spanish-speakers, and get them the relief they need to keep their doors open and workers on payroll.\u201d\u202f

\u201cAs someone proudly representing one of the most diverse congressional districts in the country, I am glad the Community Navigator Pilot Program will soon be launching,\u201d\u202fsaid\u00a0Rep.<\/strong>\u00a0Carolyn\u00a0Bourdeaux\u00a0of Georgia<\/strong>.\u202f\u201cWe have already seen the difficulties diverse communities face in accessing critically-needed relief resources, from securing PPP funds to rental relief. Through targeted outreach to small businesses in underserved communities, we can ensure that everyone is able to take advantage of the resources offered by the American Rescue Plan.\u201d

The\u00a0Community Navigator Notice of Funding\u00a0Opportunity\u00a0<\/a>will be open to applications from nonprofit organizations, state, local, and tribal governments, SBA resource partners, and other organizations.\u00a0\u00a0Selected partners will engage\u00a0in\u00a0targeted outreach<\/a>\u00a0for small businesses\u00a0in\u00a0underserved communities\u00a0to\u00a0help small businesses get the resources and support they need to\u00a0get back on track\u00a0as the economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

\u201cOur small business owners\u2014especially those owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, people of color, women, veterans, and Native Americans\u2014they need us the most, and they need us now,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0\u00a0SBA\u00a0Associate\u00a0Administrator for the Office for Entrepreneurial Development\u00a0<\/strong>Mark Madrid<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThis initiative\u00a0underscores our Agency\u2019s commitment to connecting distressed small business resources with SBA resources\u00a0and\u00a0grant funding.\u201d

\u201cThe SBA understands the importance of partnering with organizations as well as smaller, local institutions that are already embedded in the fabric of the Main Street business communities they serve,\u201d said\u00a0Assistant Administrator for the Office of Women\u2019s Business Ownership\u00a0<\/strong>Natalie Madeira Cofield<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cCommunity Navigators are the backbone of aiding underserved and underrepresented communities across the nation with recovery.\u201d

Making a Difference in Underserved Small Business Communities.\u202f<\/strong>\u202fKey\u00a0in this\u00a0initiative\u00a0are partners and people in the community,\u00a0serving\u00a0as a two-way information stream,\u00a0enabling\u202fenterprising business owners\u00a0to\u00a0receive the\u00a0help\u00a0needed from the\u00a0SBA.\u00a0Serving as the\u00a0foundation\u00a0of\u00a0America\u2019s economy, these\u00a0underserved businesses have\u00a0areas of concern\u00a0that need to be addressed. Community Navigator Pilot\u00a0will provide\u00a0counseling<\/a>, networking,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u202fassistance needed during this time of economic recovery.

Competitive grant awards will range from $1\u00a0million to $5\u00a0million\u00a0for a two-year performance period.\u00a0Applicants have until July\u00a012,\u00a02021, to submit their applications\u00a0at grants.gov.\u00a0Performance periods are projected to commence in September 2021.\u00a0Those eligible to apply must meet\u00a0and\u00a0demonstrate abilities to support\u00a0the requirements of this funding opportunity.
For more information on the Community Navigators Initiative, please visit\u00a0www.sba.gov\/navigators<\/a>.###<\/td><\/tr>
About the U.S. Small Business Administration<\/strong>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 or 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<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SBA Launches\u202f\u2018Community\u202fNavigator Pilot\u2019\u202fProgram Application$100\u00a0million\u00a0competitive\u00a0grant\u00a0program\u00a0to strengthen outreach to businesses in underserved communities\u00a0enacted through\u00a0the\u00a0American Rescue Plan The\u202fU.S. Small Business Administration\u00a0(SBA)\u202fannounced today that it is accepting applications for its new Community Navigator Pilot… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[382],"class_list":["post-11452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chamber","tag-communitynavigator-pilot"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}