10.28.21
SBA Administrator Guzman, Biden-Harris Administration Announce Community Navigator Pilot Program Grantees
Press Office of the United States Small Business Administration
51 Grantees Selected Nationwide to Serve as Hubs Connecting Disadvantaged Small Businesses with Government Resources
Excerpts:
“The unprecedented hyperlocal and national coalition-building approach of the Community Navigator Pilot Program will catalyze small businesses,” said Mark Madrid Associate Administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development. “These distinguished grantees will help supercharge our U.S. small business recovery. Simultaneously, they will help close historic and current resource gaps and advance equity, which remains one of our top priorities.”
Utilizing a “hub and spoke” model from public health care federal programming, the SBA’s Community Navigator Pilot Program will help level the playing field for America’s entrepreneurs, especially our underserved women, people of color, veterans, and rural and low-income communities. Grantee “hubs” will serve as centralized, lead organizations, and will incorporate “spokes” to leverage partnerships with deeply trusted community-based organizations to help small businesses navigate government resources and tap into critical resources.
The SBA conducted a competitive review process to ensure compliance, objectivity, and integrity that allowed every applicant an opportunity to demonstrate the impact the SBA’s support of their organization could have on their communities.
51 Community Navigators will provide coverage across the country with the support of over 400 spoke organizations. Each hub organization will support a minimum of 5 spokes.
The SBA will provide grants to Community Navigators ranging from $1M to $5M over the course of two years. Tier 1 recipients were awarded up to $5 million, Tier 2 up to $2.5 million and Tier 3 up to $1 million.
