Browse our database of research related to micro business.
Featured Research
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are gaining broader recognition as effective conduits of capital to underserved communities. As a result of the diversity of CDFI business models and their unique approach to blending different capital sources, these mission-driven capital providers have varied and often complex financial structures, and their financial statements can be difficult to understand for those not familiar with the sector. As interest in the sector from prospective investors has grown, so too has the need for broader understanding of how to assess CDFI financial health and soundness. This brief highlights sector dynamics that provide important context for any analysis of individual CDFIs, and shares suggestions for both the CDFI industry and investors new to the sector for how to improve understanding of CDFI financial metrics.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to stabilize businesses and their workers. Minority depository institutions (MDIs) – mission-driven lenders that serve marginalized communities – played a vital role in supporting small businesses through PPP lending. In this report, we document how MDIs outperformed non-MDI lenders in deploying PPP loans and loan dollars to minority and low-income communities.
Resource | Author | Categories | Pub Date |
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Business Formation Statistics March 2024Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The U.S. Census Bureau announced the following seasonally adjusted business application and formation statistics for March 2024. The Business Application Series describe the business applications for tax IDs as indicated by applications for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) through filings of the IRS Form SS-4. The Business Formation Series describe employer business formations as indicated by the first instance of payroll tax liabilities for the corresponding business applications. |
Author: U.S. Census Bureau |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 04/11/2024 |
Hidden Costs of Small Dollar LoansDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Earned wage advances (EWA) and cash advance products are small, short-term loans that are typically repaid on the consumer’s next payday either directly from a bank account or as a payroll deduction. Consumers access these products using an app on their smartphone by linking their bank accounts or by enrolling through their employer. The costs of these very short-term loans are not always transparent to consumers, who often pay fees and leave tips to access money and run the risk of unexpected overdraft fees. Workers who are already living paycheck to paycheck may frequently find themselves pulled into a cycle of reborrowing that depletes their net earnings and further erodes their financial stability. Through a mixed-methods approach, this research aims to better understand the costs and risks of using EWA and cash advances as well as their impacts on the financial lives of low- and moderate-income consumers. |
Author: Center for Responsible Lending |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 04/03/2024 |
2024 Report on Employer FirmsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The 2023 Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) shows signs of a further waning of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on firms, as challenges closely associated with the pandemic—like supply chain issues—eased between 2022 and 2023. Measures of firm performance remained elevated well above pandemic-era lows and remained steady year-over-year but lagged prepandemic levels. |
Author: U.S. Federal Reserve |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 03/07/2024 |
Best Practices for Equitable LendingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Development finance agencies (DFAs) are tasked with providing financial services to underserved communities in order to see them grow and thrive. DFAs are defined here as community lenders including but not limited to community development financial institutions (CDFIs), credit unions, banks, private firms, finance authorities, and public agencies across both the private and non-profit sectors. Furthermore, this paper addresses issues faced by commercial lenders in the DFA space. Because no two communities are exactly alike, DFAs often differ in how they address the unique challenges to capital access that small businesses in their communities face. DFAs should consider the unique needs of their communities and borrowers while maintaining focus on responsible lending and risk management. |
Author: CDFA Foundation |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 12/29/2023 |
Redlining the ReservationDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 sought to address the practice of redlining – the intentional exclusion by banks of minority, immigrant and poor communities from financial services. In late 2023, new CRA regulations specifically included Native Land Areas for the first time. This paper sets a baseline for measuring access to capital by tribal communities in hope of a more just financial services landscape in Indian Country. |
Author: NCRC |
Categories: Access to Capital, Minorities |
Publication Date: 12/29/2023 |
A View of PPP from the InsideDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This brief examines the financing activity, financial performance, and efficiency and operations of Opportunity Finance Network’s member CDFIs that served as PPP lenders. These members devoted a substantial portion of their fiscal year 2021 lending activity to PPP, had higher self-sufficiency and change in net assets than non-PPP lenders, and achieved high rates of operational efficiency. In the short term, PPP provided an essential economic lifeline to businesses and communities. It may have also enhanced the enduring ability of CDFIs to advance mission impact. |
Author: Opportunity Finance Network |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 12/19/2023 |
Understanding CDFI Financial DataDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This brief highlights sector dynamics that provide important context for any analysis of individual CDFIs, and shares suggestions for both the CDFI industry and investors new to the sector for how to improve understanding of CDFI financial metrics. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microlending |
Publication Date: 12/19/2023 |
Healthcare Costs and Small BusinessDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
A new national survey of 1,015 small business owners including responses from Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and Washington has unveiled a bipartisan concern on critical insights into the challenges and perspectives surrounding healthcare costs. |
Author: Small Business for America's Future |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 12/13/2023 |
Contracting, Procurement & Supplier DiversityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Reimagine Main Street, in partnership with 14 other national business organizations, surveyed businesses about their experiences with corporate and government contracting. The results come out against a backdrop of significant Federal investments and a wave of litigation against diverse businesses, business diversity and efforts to increase contracting with diverse-owned and small businesses. |
Author: Reimagine Main Street |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 11/30/2023 |
Employee Benefits Offered by Entrepreneurs of ColorDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report presents an analysis of employee benefits provision among Hispanic, Black, and White business owners. Leveraging data from the 2022 Entrepreneurship in the Population Survey Project (EPOP), the study exclusively focuses on businesses employing more than 10 individuals to delve deeper into the benefits landscape. |
Author: Prosperity Now |
Categories: Minorities |
Publication Date: 11/14/2023 |
State Community Reinvestment ActsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Many states have adopted Community Reinvestment Acts (CRAs) similar in purpose and structure to the federal Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. These state laws were developed following the passage of the federal CRA but contain differences that reflect the unique reinvestment priorities of individual states. State CRAs have also developed during, and often in response to, a substantial increase in the nonbank mortgage company share of the mortgage market. This report focuses on state CRA laws that provide an affirmative obligation for financial institutions to meet the lending, services, and/or investment needs of their communities. The states included are Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. It summarizes the key factors of each of these laws, organizes them into ten issue groups, and identifies five findings that inform how states could consider establishing reinvestment obligations. |
Author: CFPB |
Categories: Economics (General), Policy |
Publication Date: 11/02/2023 |
Keeping Small Businesses in PlaceDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The case studies contained in this report are the result of a year-long process, during which the SBAN team worked with organizations from diverse neighborhoods and metropolitan regions to tell stories about effective small business anti-displacement strategies. |
Author: Small Business Anti-Displacement Network |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 11/01/2023 |
State of Inclusion in Financial SystemDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The State of Inclusion in the U.S. Financial System follows Aspen FSP’s report, Towards a National Strategy for Financial Inclusion, and moves from making the case for why the U.S. should have a National Strategy for Financial Inclusion to how. In this publication, we introduce U.S. policymakers to an assessment of the current state of inclusion in the U.S. financial system, and share processes, disparities, gaps and assess the overall state of inclusion. |
Author: The Aspen Institute's Financial Security Program |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Minorities |
Publication Date: 11/01/2023 |
Small Independent LandlordsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This brief identifies opportunities to work with Black and other landlords of color to support racial economic justice efforts focused on wealth preservation and renters’ financial well-being. |
Author: Asset Funders Network |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 11/01/2023 |
Small Business Capital: A Place-Based ApproachDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Accelerator for America and the International Economic Development Council are excited to present the first segment in a two-part series exploring the needs and opportunities to drive more equitable entrepreneurship and small business growth in communities across the U.S. This first piece addresses equitable capital access, and the second will delve into the other critical elements of the entrepreneurial and small business ecosystem that are necessary to foster inclusive growth. Both parts of the series will focus on the role that mayors, local governments, and place-based philanthropies can play in addressing gaps and creating more equitable opportunities in their communities. |
Author: Anne Bovaird Nevins |
Categories: Access to Capital, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/20/2023 |
New Tools to Capitalize CDFI GrowthDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This brief addresses a set of critical questions that will arise as the industry puts this powerful growth strategy to work, focusing on how CDFI funders and investors should reconsider how they interpret key financial metrics related to portfolio quality, capital deployment, and earned income for CDFIs that are selling loans. For example, to more accurately assess the lending activity of CDFIs that are selling loans, we recommend that funders request and evaluate total assets under management rather than simply looking at outstanding loans held on the balance sheet or total deployment ratio. |
Author: The Aspen Institute's Business Ownership Initiative |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microlending, Nonprofits |
Publication Date: 10/11/2023 |
Small Business Perspectives on Government Budget NegotiationsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Between Aug. 4-24, 2023, Small Business for America’s Future conducted a national survey of 1,089 small business owners to gauge their sentiment on the current economic climate and their perspectives on government budget negotiations. As Congress reconvenes, more lawmakers are acknowledging the potential of a government shutdown. |
Author: Small Business for America's Future |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 09/14/2023 |
Building Ecosystems for Black EntrepreneursDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
According to the latest US Census data, there are more than 3 million Black-owned businesses in the country; 66% of these have fewer than ten employees, and 17% have no employees other than the owner. Despite making up just 3% of small businesses nationwide, Black-owned enterprises provide critical services to their communities, and they contribute substantially to both local and national economies through hundreds of billions of dollars in wages, spending, and tax revenue. However, historical and structural inequities have created significant obstacles to success for Black entrepreneurs, limiting their ability to start, grow, and scale their small businesses. This research study, with a specific focus on the experiences of established Black-owned small businesses, reveals new findings about the nuances of their successes and challenges, and lays out specific tools needed to build a truly supportive ecosystem for Black entrepreneurs. |
Author: Accion Opportunity Fund |
Categories: Access to Capital, Business Development Services, Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 09/12/2023 |
2023 Association Community BenchmarksDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report offers data specifically for the association and nonprofit industries. It will help you analyze how you compare to similar organizations and provide you with insights to aid your strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and the refinement of your engagement strategies. |
Author: Higher Logic |
Categories: Nonprofits |
Publication Date: 08/30/2023 |
MDIs: PPP Lending InsightsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to stabilize businesses and their workers. Minority depository institutions (MDIs) – mission-driven lenders that serve marginalized communities – played a vital role in supporting small businesses through PPP lending. In this report, we document how MDIs outperformed non-MDI lenders in deploying PPP loans and loan dollars to minority and low-income communities. |
Author: National Bankers Association Foundation |
Categories: Access to Capital, Minorities |
Publication Date: 08/30/2023 |
2023 CDFI SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Survey results have shown that demand for CDFIs’ products and services has continually grown for years. In the 2019 survey, almost three-quarters of respondents said demand had increased from 2018. An even larger share (86%) foresaw demand continuing to increase in 2020. Although CDFIs’ business slowed briefly at the onset of the pandemic, the 2020 COVID-19 CDFI Survey revealed that the resulting economic environment spurred many financially underserved individuals and businesses to seek banking or lending services, and demand for CDFIs quickly regained momentum. As demand for their products and services continued to grow, CDFIs expressed wanting to offer additional products and services. In the 2021 survey, 76% of respondents said they wanted to expand their offerings but could not on a sustained basis. Limited staffing was frequently reported as a top inhibitor to growth. Lending capital was the secondary issue. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 08/30/2023 |
Small Business Economic Perspectives & Policy PrioritiesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Between Aug. 4-15, 2023, Small Business for America’s Future conducted a national survey of 961 small business owners to gauge their sentiment around the economy and the Inflation Reduction Act on its one-year anniversary. |
Author: Small Business for America's Future |
Categories: Economics (General), Policy |
Publication Date: 08/16/2023 |
Role of Banks in Funding Climate ChangeDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
California communities have been ravaged by fires, flooding, extreme heat and paralyzing spring snowstorms. Big changes in public policy and corporate conduct are needed to solve the crisis of climate change. This report analyzes the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a public-private initiative created in 2020 to help alleviate financial pressures businesses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlights the unexpected impacts the loan program has had on climate change. This first-of-its-kind analysis looks at all bank financing of oil, gas and coal companies under the PPP. |
Author: RISE Economy |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 08/10/2023 |
Employee Ownership for ManufacturersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report presents employee ownership as a strategy to address all three challenges with a flexible and proactive succession planning tool. We highlight the growing number of cases in which employee ownership has been successfully used to strengthen small- and medium-sized American manufacturers, including an innovative partnership the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP) has formed with Project Equity to offer their clients employee ownership succession planning services. By connecting these pressing challenges with this powerful solution, this report aims to equip key stakeholders to incorporate employee ownership into their toolkits to support small- and medium-sized manufacturers across the country, taking a critical step toward building quality jobs, forming resilient supply chains, and establishing sustainable business models. |
Author: Project Equity |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 08/09/2023 |
Breaking Barriers to Capital Access for Returning CitizensDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Endeavor Ready 3.0: Breaking Barriers to Capital Access for Returning Citizens report outlines actions that lenders and organizations in the reentry community can take to improve outcomes in their programs and remove barriers to capital access to better serve millions of returning citizens. |
Author: Association for Enterprise Opportunity |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 08/02/2023 |
California Competitiveness ReportDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
CALIFORNIA IS A CROWN JEWEL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT – The economy of California is the largest in the country, with a $3.598 trillion (GSP) as of 2022. – It is the largest subnational economy in the world. – If California were a sovereign nation, it would rank in terms of nominal GDP as the world’s fifth-largest economy, behind Germany and ahead of India. |
Author: Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 08/02/2023 |
Women’s Small Business Ownership ReportDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Women represent more than half of the United States population and make significant contributions across all industries and sectors. Americans filed about 5.1 million business applications in 2022, nearly 14,000 a day, up from 3.5 million in 2019. That compares to just 29 percent of all business filings pre-pandemic. Women in particular have been the driving force behind America’s economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, creating about half of new businesses for the third year in a row. Women of color, specifically Black women, have had a tremendous impact on the post-pandemic economy with the number of Black-women-owned employer businesses increasing to around 18 percent from 2017-2020, compared to a 9 percent increase in the number of women-owned businesses. According to an analysis produced by the Boston Consulting Group, if women participated equally to men as entrepreneurs, global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could increase by approximately 3 to 6 percent, adding $2.5 to $5 trillion to the global economy. |
Author: Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship |
Categories: Women |
Publication Date: 07/31/2023 |
The Startup Surge ContinuesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Here we highlight several major takeaways for business formation through the first half of 2023. We focus on applications from likely employers because of their crucial role in job creation. We make most comparisons to 2019 in order to explicitly highlight how the pandemic-era economy has dramatically differed from prior trends up to 2020 when the pandemic hit, and to emphasize the staying power of the startup surge. |
Author: Economic Innovation Group |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 07/24/2023 |
CA Small Business Owners Support Paid Leave PoliciesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
As the California Legislature considers updating the state’s small business paid family leave and sick day policies, a new poll shows that small businesses owners strongly support expanding family leave protections and other benefits to their employees, including increasing the amount of paid sick days that employees can take. |
Author: Small Business Majority |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 07/12/2023 |
Well-Being in Rural California 2023Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Well-Being in Rural California 2023 paints a picture of well-being and access to opportunity across race, place, and gender in rural California today. Using the American Human Development Index (HDI), this report presents how residents in rural California are doing on three key dimensions of well-being—a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living. Broken down by race and ethnicity, by gender, and by census tract, the index shows how communities are faring relative to one another and to the state and country as a whole. The report found that stark variation exists by place and by demographic group—resulting in significant inequalities across rural areas. |
Author: Measure of America |
Categories: Economics (CA), Rural |
Publication Date: 06/29/2023 |
State of Diverse Businesses in CaliforniaDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The California African American, Asian Pacific, and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce have partnered with Beacon Economics and the California Office of the Small Business Advocate to develop an annual report to share insights on the economic, fiscal, and social impact of the state’s diverse small business community. |
Author: California Office of the Small Business Advocate |
Categories: Economics (CA), Minorities |
Publication Date: 06/28/2023 |
Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs: Removing BarriersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Kauffman Foundation continues to recognize, with urgency, the significance of the role new and existing businesses play in local, regional, and the national economy. This report continues our series of sharing the state of capital access for entrepreneurs highlighting the need for innovative products and models to improve capital delivery systems. |
Author: Kauffman Foundation |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 06/27/2023 |
Levels of Wealth CreationDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Last fall, the ICA Fund team built the 5-year plan for organization towards achieving our mission to accelerate great businesses through mentoring and investments and close the racial and gender wealth gaps. Part of our strategy for this first year of our plan has been to test the effectiveness of our integrated advising and investment model on driving wealth creation in diverse communities. We partnered with an exceptional researcher, Lucy Odgie-Turley, from OT Consulting (OTC) to conduct this research. OTC led an extensive literature review, conducted qualitative interviews with our alumni, and surveyed local and state-level business owners. |
Author: ICA Fund |
Categories: Access to Capital, Business Development Services |
Publication Date: 06/26/2023 |
The State of Diverse Businesses in CaliforniaDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The following findings represent the most detailed available estimates of California minority-owned small businesses and their corresponding economic, fiscal, and social impacts. |
Author: California Office of the Small Business Advocate |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 06/16/2023 |
Economic Well-Being of Households 2022Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2022 report examines the financial lives of U.S. adults and their families. The report draws from the 10th annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, or SHED, which was conducted in October 2022. The report, downloadable data, data visualizations, and a video summarizing the survey’s findings are found here. |
Author: U.S. Federal Reserve |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 05/22/2023 |
Bank Types, Inclusivity, and PPP Lending During COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
How do differences in bank or lending institution type shape access to credit for small businesses in poor and/or minority communities in the United States? Banking systems are populated by lenders that differ qualitatively in their organizational forms, business models and missions, and that connect—or fail to connect—to small business borrowers and local communities in divergent ways. The authors analyze data on the Paycheck Protection Program and its over 11 million loans made to businesses across the United States to trace how these differences shaped the flow of credit to poor and minority communities. The authors find substantial differences across seven lender types, both in their propensities to avoid or lend to firms in traditionally marginalized communities, and in how much they lend to poor and majority–minority communities relative to their nonpoor and majority White counterparts. From this variety within American banking, the authors identify two potential pathways for more inclusive lending. |
Author: Mark K. Cassell , Michael Schwan and Marc Schneiberg |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microlending, Minorities |
Publication Date: 03/20/2024 |
Lending to Entrepreneurs of Color: Strategies & TacticsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In this paper, we share lessons in six key areas related to microloan origination, including specific practices of CDFIs that are currently originating many hundreds or thousands of microloans annually. The findings are drawn from the members of BOI’s Microfinance Impact Collaborative (MIC), which has been convening and collaborating since 2015 and whose members collectively originated 11,978 loans totaling just under $310 million in 2022. This paper follows a prior one that described the critical role that microloans — loans less than $50,000 — play in meeting the needs of Black and Latinx borrowers and the challenges that CDFIs face in scaling microlending. |
Author: Business Ownership Initiative |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microlending, Minorities |
Publication Date: 03/14/2023 |
2023 Report on Employer FirmsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small business revenue, employment, and profitability each improved from 2021, but expectations worsened year-over-year. With the end of pandemic-related funding programs, the application rate for traditional financing rebounded to prepandemic levels. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 03/08/2023 |
Black and Hispanic Real Estate DevelopersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Standing at the intersection of real estate ownership and business ownership, the real estate development industry has the potential to be a powerful engine for Black and Hispanic Americans to build wealth. This commissioned report, created by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) with Grove Impact as part of its Obsidian Ecosystem Initiative (OEI), presents the findings of first-of-its kind research on Black and Hispanic real estate developers. The report sheds light on the current state of Black and Hispanic real estate developers by identifying a representation crisis among real estate developers, a revenue gap for mid-sized Black developers, and revenue cliffs facing large Black and Hispanic developers. This report estimates the potential impact of removing the constraints on Black and Hispanic developers and recommends steps that real estate developers and their organizations, investors, public policymakers, and foundations could take to increase diversity in the real estate development industry. |
Author: Initiative for A Competitive Inner City |
Categories: Minorities |
Publication Date: 03/03/2023 |
From Prison to BusinessDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and as many as a third of Americans have some type of criminal record. Upon reentry, individuals with a justice history, whom we refer to as returning citizens, face significant barriers to economic security and reintegration into their communities. Among the most formidable barriers to reentry are a disadvantaged living environment, low levels of education, mental health challenges, and stigma that excludes them from job opportunities and other resources. |
Author: Progressive Policy Institute |
Categories: Minorities |
Publication Date: 03/02/2023 |
2023 Report on the Creative EconomyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The focus of this year’s report is viewing the future of the creative economy through an increasingly important lens: gaming technology. The video game industry has experienced explosive growth in recent years, and it is having an impact far beyond the gaming community in transformational ways. Gaming technology is foundational to the development of nearly all sectors, not just the creative ones, prompting both structural and operational shifts throughout the entire economy. |
Author: Otis College of Art & Design |
Categories: New Era Workforce |
Publication Date: 02/15/2023 |
How Did Self-Care Industries Perform at Start of Pandemic?Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
According to the Census Bureau’s 2021 Service Annual Survey (SAS), while overall estimated Services Total revenue for employer firms decreased 1.7% from 2019 to 2020, estimated employer firm revenue for some of the service industries supporting self-care grew from 2019 to 2020. |
Author: U.S. Census Bureau |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 02/13/2023 |
Biden Economic Agenda 2021-23Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
President Biden made a series of concrete commitments to the American people about his plan for economic recovery and renewal. This blog post reviews those commitments and progress made in the two years since they were made. |
Author: Brian Deese, National Economic Council |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 01/20/2023 |
Business Dynamics During COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Preliminary results suggest that small businesses helped soften the economic blow of COVID-19, and they may have helped the economy innovate and adapt. Further research on the relationships between performance, business applications, startup rates, and job quits during COVID-19 could shed light on the importance of small businesses in combating and recovering from economic crises. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 01/18/2023 |
SBA Advocacy Annual ReportDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Now, more than ever, it is important to focus on the need for strong connections between founders and the investors looking to support them, as reflected in the visual theme of this year’s annual report: building bridges. We call on Congress, the Commission, and our partners to support small businesses and their investors, with a particular focus on underrepresented founders and their investors. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 01/05/2023 |
Minority Business Ownership by SectorDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
There were more Hispanic-owned businesses overall and more minority-owned businesses in various sectors in 2020 than a decade earlier, according to the Census Bureau’s 2021 Annual Business Survey (ABS). |
Author: U.S. Census Bureau |
Categories: Minorities |
Publication Date: 01/04/2023 |
Listening to the Businesses of East LADownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report tracks results from the East LA Business Connector (EL ABC), an action research project that as of October 2022 has engaged over 650 local and small businesses in East Los Angeles to better understand and meet community needs. This is a continuing work of action research, with every hour of effort directed toward actually supporting local businesses, both by connecting them with resources in the short-term and by informing policy and practice to better support a business ecosystem that is thriving, dynamic, and inclusive. |
Author: Los Angeles Economic Equity Accelerator & Fellowship |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 12/30/2022 |
Increase in Number of U.S. Black-Owned Businesses Between 2017 and 2019Sneak PeakDescription
The number of U.S. Black-owned businesses grew from 2017 to 2019 in all sectors of the U.S. economy, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey (ABS). We reviewed business patterns among Black business owners, drawing on Census Bureau |
Author: U.S. Census Bureau |
Categories: Immigrants |
Publication Date: 12/28/2022 |
Entrepreneurship in 2020: California SnapshotDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Entrepreneurship is important for job creation, innovation, and the economy. This brief provides a snapshot of various indicators related to early-stage entrepreneurial activity in California. Kauffman |
Author: Kauffman |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 12/28/2022 |
Economic Wellness: Meeting Families Where They AreDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In our new report, we examine the barriers low-income, BIPOC communities face in the US banking system. Based on data from nearly 900 participants in Southern California, the report looks at access to affordable banking options, trust and confidence in |
Author: CRC |
Categories: Access to Capital, Minorities |
Publication Date: 12/27/2022 |
Building Wealth Inclusively Through Business OwnershipDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Although business ownership may not be the primary way that most individuals and families build wealth in the United States, in any capitalist economy it’s a route that cannot be ignored. Especially when the rules of that economy have been set such tha |
Author: Aspen Institute |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 12/27/2022 |
Making CRA Relevant for a Changing Financial Services IndustryDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This paper examines shifts in the market share of banks and nonbank financial institutions in important product markets. Banks are covered by the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) which requires them to serve all communities, including low- and moderate |
Author: NCRC |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 12/27/2022 |
2021 Small Business Profile : CaliforniaDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Advocacy’s annual State Profiles provide a snapshot of each state’s small businesses. The profiles gather the latest federal economic data into state-by-state snapshots of small business health and economic activity. This year’s profiles focus on state |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 12/27/2022 |
Linking Inclusive Finance with Inclusive Insurance in the United States Through Community Development Financial InstitutionsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Climate change is altering the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events, disproportionately harming low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. Small businesses and microenterprises play a critical economic role in these communities. These bus |
Author: EDF |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 12/27/2022 |
Untangling the Personal and ProfessionalDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Entrepreneurship has historically been viewed as a pathway to economic opportunity and social mobility. While this remains true for many, more and more Americans are becoming entrepreneurs out of necessity. In Spring 2022, SaverLife, with the support o |
Author: SaverLife |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 12/27/2022 |
2022 Otis College Report on the Creative EconomyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The 2022 Otis College Report on the Creative Economy is part of an ongoing research project, first commissioned in 2007, to better understand the size, growth, structure, and character of the creative economy in California, with an emphasis on Los Ange |
Author: CVL Economics |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 12/19/2022 |
State of Entrepreneurship ReportDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The report includes Inland Empire key statistics and trends in entrepreneurship, an inventory and assessment of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and direct insight from over 1,000 entrepreneurs in the region. The report aims to give a voice to t |
Author: Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship and School of Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 12/19/2022 |
California Communities’ Broadband Needs and the Role of Financial InstitutionsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
For this report, the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) analyzed findings from multiple surveys of our varied constituents. First, we conducted a survey of 13 large national banks about their investments in broadband access and adoption initiative |
Author: CRC |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 12/19/2022 |
California’s Digital DivideDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Broadband access has been expanding steadily, but significant gaps persist. PPIC |
Author: PPIC |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 12/19/2022 |
Debunking Risk in Food System LendingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Food and agriculture-related businesses are often perceived as too risky for traditional lending approaches, yet CDFA research tells a different story. This report, with loan-level data from over a thousand funds nationwide, demonstrates that food syst |
Author: CDFA |
Categories: Access to Capital, Rural |
Publication Date: 12/19/2022 |
Using Technical Assistance to Improve Minority and Rural Small Business Access to CapitalDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Minority owned small businesses face more challenges in obtaining capital than other small businesses. As stated in the PayPal-funded report, Reducing the Racial Financial Health Gap: The Opportunity for Responsible Fintech, “Black-owned small business |
Author: Project REACh |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 12/19/2022 |
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: How Food Regulations Starve Sidewalk Vendors of Opportunity and What Can Be Done to Finish the Legalization of Street FoodDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The City of LA began issuing its vending permits in 2020, yet it has only issued 165 permits to sidewalk food vendors, even though there are an estimated ten thousand eligible vendors. The report, “UNFINISHED BUSINESS: How Food Regulations Starve Sidew |
Author: Public Counsel and the UCLA School of Law Community Economic Development Clinic |
Categories: Immigrants, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 12/19/2022 |
The Rise of the Creator EconomyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The rise of Creators and of the broader Creator Economy is the digital manifestation of the rise of creativity as a key element in our economy, society, and everyday lives. Creative Class Group |
Author: Creative Class Group |
Categories: Economics (General), Youth |
Publication Date: 12/19/2022 |
Entrepreneurship Research Methodologies for Equity and InclusionDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Historically, research on entrepreneurship and innovation has rarely been conducted using community-engaged methodologies – even in work that seeks to address barriers to entrepreneurship in systemically marginalized communities. We believe that including the voices of entrepreneurs in the research process may produce more nuanced and robust findings that, ultimately, can serve as the basis for programs and policies that could truly change the landscape of entrepreneurship in the United States. |
Author: Kauffman Foundation |
Categories: Economics (General), Policy |
Publication Date: 12/12/2022 |
Equitable Economic Development across CaliforniaDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In its report, the Commission calls on state government to do more to facilitate inclusive regional economic development, including by directing resources to regions that need them the most, investing in regional capacity, aligning funding and state programs to support regional development strategies, and ensuring that regions balance the goals of growth and inclusion. |
Author: Little Hoover Commission |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 11/03/2022 |
Faulty Foundations: Mystery-Shopper Testing In Home Appraisals Exposes Racial Bias Undermining Black Wealth October 2022Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The way that homeowners, lenders and policymakers use the term “property values” often implies that there is one organic, objective, correct definition of what someone’s home is worth. But that is not the case. Our cultural conception of property value |
Author: NCRC |
Categories: Access to Capital, Minorities |
Publication Date: 10/27/2022 |
The Impacts of COVID-19 on Racial Disparities in Small Business EarningsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
New research from Advocacy indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic led to greater earnings losses for business owners of color than white business owners. SBA Office of Advocacy. |
Author: SBA |
Categories: Access to Capital, Immigrants, Minorities |
Publication Date: 10/24/2022 |
Small Business Facts: Small Business Innovation Measured by Patenting ActivityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Data from the National Science Foundation show that small businesses that engage in R&D generate more patents per employee than larger businesses that engage in R&D. SBA Office of Advocacy |
Author: SBA |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 10/24/2022 |
California 2022 Small Business ProfileDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Advocacy’s annual State Profiles gather the latest federal economic data into state-by-state snapshots of small business economic activity. SBA Office of Advocacy |
Author: SBA |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 10/24/2022 |
National Small Business Perspectives on Child CareDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
SBAF Surveys Show Childcare has a big Impact on Small Business Small Business for America |
Author: Small Business for America |
Categories: Youth |
Publication Date: 10/20/2022 |
California Communities’ Broadband Needs and the Role of Financial InstitutionsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
California Communities’ Broadband Needs and the Role of Financial Institutions: Findings from California Reinvestment Coalition Surveys California Reinvestment Coalition |
Author: California Reinvestment Coalition |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microlending |
Publication Date: 10/20/2022 |
Understanding the American Entrepreneurship Landscape: A New ResourceDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Entrepreneurship in the Population (EPOP) Survey is a new publicly available resource for understanding the scope of entrepreneurial activities across the United States. The EPOP Survey includes a variety of measures of entrepreneurial behavior at |
Author: EPOP |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 10/19/2022 |
Small Business Facts: An Overview of Immigrant Business OwnershipDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Immigrant owners consist of roughly 18 percent of business owners with employees and almost 23 percent of business owners without employees. Immigrant-owned businesses are found in every sector of the U.S. economy. Immigrants made up 36.8% of employer |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Immigrants, Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 10/19/2022 |
Bridging the Capital Access Gap Report : An Overview of the Small Business Financing IndustryDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Although entrepreneurship is often touted as an arena of equal opportunity, there are major systemic barriers to realizing this ideal – one being access to capital. ICIC and LISC came together for an in-depth look at the small business financing indust |
Author: ICIC, LISC |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 08/27/2022 |
The Power of ProcurementDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Women-owned small businesses make up a significant proportion of all firms in the Los Angeles region with just over 20 percent of all businesses in the Los Angeles region being owned by women. And women-owned businesses are extremely diverse, with almo |
Author: City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic Development |
Categories: Women |
Publication Date: 08/19/2022 |
Exploring Job Quality in Latinx & Black-owned Small BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Entrepreneurship is a critical pathway to wealth-building and job creation. If Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) started and owned businesses at the same rate as White people, they would add approximately 9.5 million jobs to the US economy |
Author: Prosperity Now |
Categories: Minorities |
Publication Date: 06/19/2022 |
Small Business Economic Bulletin: June 2022Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Recent trends, including the number of small employer firms and proprietors’ income, show small firms have weathered the COVID-19 shock. However, the demand for small business finance has outpaced supply, indicating that banks have not fully recognized |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 06/14/2022 |
Economic Well-Being ofU.S. Households in 2021Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report describes the responses to the 2021 Survey of Household Economics and Decision making (SHED). The Federal Reserve Board has fielded this survey each fall since 2013 to understand the wide range of financial challenges and opportunities faci |
Author: Federal Reserve |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 05/22/2022 |
Small business owner liquid wealth at firm startup and exitDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The relationship between small business ownership and wealth looms large in the imagination of policymakers and entrepreneurs alike. Indeed, people who own businesses are wealthier than those who do not. In 2019, the median net worth of self-employed f |
Author: JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microlending |
Publication Date: 05/19/2022 |
Economic Well-Being ofU.S. Households in 2021Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2021 BOARD OF GOVERNORS of the FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Published May 2022 |
Author: BOARD OF GOVERNORS of the FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 05/01/2022 |
The Small Business Boom Under the Biden-Harris AdministrationDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Through the American Rescue Plan and the equitable implementation of emergency relief programs, President Biden and Vice President Harris fostered the strongest recovery for Main Street on record. In 2021, Americans applied to start 5.4 million new bus |
Author: The White House |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 04/19/2022 |
Financially Inclusive and Sustainable Tacoma WADownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The policy brief was informed by research conducted with the William Factory Small Business Incubator which is one of the longest serving incubators in America. It is based in Tacoma, Washington and caters to the needs of early and growth stage entrepreneurs. |
Author: University of Bedfordshire |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 03/02/2022 |
Barriers to BusinessDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
You shouldn’t need a law degree to start the small business of your dreams. But too often, entrepreneurs struggle with local regulatory burdens, finding themselves trapped by high fees, long wait times, and complex paperwork. These burdens amount to a |
Author: Injustice for Justice |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 02/28/2022 |
Fed Credit Survey Finds Small Businesses Experiencing Uneven Economic Recovery; 85% Have Faced Financial Challenges in 2021Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Small Business Credit Survey 2022 Report on Employer Firms, issued today by the 12 Federal Reserve Banks, found many small businesses have not recovered to prepandemic levels, with the effects of the pandemic hitting disproportionately hard among f |
Author: Federal Reserve |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 02/22/2022 |
A Real-Time Look at ‘The Great Resignation:’ January 2022Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The most recent data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report showed that the United States is still in the midst of an unprecedentedly tight labor market, with both the job-quitting rate and the number of job openings across |
Author: Gusto |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 02/11/2022 |
Small Business Finance FAQ February 2022Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small businesses borrow mainly for four reasons: to start a business, purchase inventory, expand, or to strengthen the firm’s financial health. Firms choose different means of financing depending on the intended purpose. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Policy |
Publication Date: 02/01/2022 |
NCRC 2020 Home Mortgage Report: Examining Shifts During COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
In this paper the National Community Reinvestment Coalition presents a broad and detailed analysis of 2020 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data. Our analysis reveals how the private or conventional mortgage lending market is failing to serve econom |
Author: NCRC |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 01/28/2022 |
How Entrepreneurship Can Revitalize Local CommunitiesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report from Harvard Business Review discusses some of the failings of business-driven revitalization programs, and argues that to truly produce real, enduring impact, we must shift away from a focus on scaling up, and instead encourage founders to |
Author: Harvard Business Review |
Categories: |
Publication Date: 01/17/2022 |
Does Perceived Socio-Economic Status Impact Access To Credit In The Small Business Arena?Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
From November 1, 2020, to December 14, 2020, NCRC conducted multi-layered matched-pair tests of 22 different financial institutions. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of socio-economic status (SES), specifically perceived education, on |
Author: NCRC |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 12/28/2021 |
Small businesses share views on current issues: vaccine mandates, supply chain disruptions and Build Back BetterDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
From ongoing supply chain disruptions to new fears surrounding potential impacts stemming from the Omicron variant, small business owners continue to face uncertainty about the future of their businesses. A new survey from Small Business Majority sheds |
Author: Small Business Majority |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 12/14/2021 |
Lending to Entrepreneurs of Color: Operational ChallengesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Because business ownership has been a means for many Americans to build wealth, providing loans and grants to entrepreneurs of color has been seen by many as an important way to address the racial wealth gap. Although successfully reaching excluded entrepreneurs will require practices and competencies that meet their specific contexts, the lessons we have learned and practices that have proven successful will apply to all entrepreneurs who face barriers in accessing credit because of low levels of wealth, thin or nonexistent credit files, differences in cultural experiences and languages, discrimination, and/or the amount of credit they are seeking. This brief — the first in a series on this topic — discusses the core operational challenges that community development financial institutions (CDFIs) face in scaling their lending to entrepreneurs of color. |
Author: Business Ownership Initiative |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microlending, Minorities |
Publication Date: 11/17/2021 |
California Cooperatives : Today’s Landscape of Worker, Housing and Childcare CooperativesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
California, like the rest of the United States, is in the midst of multiple crises, where increasing inequality and racial inequity are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and social impacts. After years of struggling with the high pr |
Author: Project Equity |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 10/28/2021 |
National Survey Shows Small Businesses Hurt by Lack of Affordable Child Care and Owners Support Federal Child Care InvestmentsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
A national survey of more than 1,000 small business owners in, Small Business for America’s Future’s small business network finds that small businesses are being hurt by a lack of affordable child care, and small business owners support increases in fe |
Author: Small Business for America’s Future |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 10/04/2021 |
Most Nonemployer Businesses Owned by U.S.-Born But Foreign-Born Hispanic and Asian Owners Had a Large Presence in Some SectorsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Most U.S. business owners with no employees were U.S.-born but in some sectors and demographic groups, including Asian and Hispanic populations, more business owners were foreign-born. About 77.9% of owners of nonemployer businesses — firms that do not |
Author: U.S. Census Bureau |
Categories: Minorities |
Publication Date: 09/29/2021 |
Building Organizational Capabilities in Service of Equitable and Inclusive Small Business EcosystemsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small businesses are the beating heart of local economies and communities across the country. As mainstays of neighborhood identity, small businesses1 strengthen community pride and connections among residents. Small businesses also serve as a signific |
Author: LISC |
Categories: Minorities |
Publication Date: 09/27/2021 |
Policy Brief: An Impact Investing Policy Agenda for Growing Employee Ownership to Support COVID-19 RecoveryDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The COVID pandemic has been a perfect storm hitting the small and local businesses that make our neighborhoods and cities unique. It’s estimated that 200,000 more small businesses than normal shutdown in the last year, and that from February to April 2 |
Author: PCV |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 09/27/2021 |
Program Changes Increased Lending to the Smallest Businesses and in Underserved LocationsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) supports small businesses through forgivable loans for payroll and other eligible costs. Early lending favored larger and rural businesses, according to GAO’s analysis of Small Business Administration (SBA) data. S |
Author: GAO |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 09/27/2021 |
CRA Mortgages: A Failure to ImplementDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Banking has changed considerably since the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was passed in 1977, and updates to its implementing regulation in the mid-1990s were soon outdated. In 2015 the agencies responsible for regulating banks subject to CRA require |
Author: Woodstock Institute |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 09/27/2021 |
Small Business Facts: Equally Male/Female-Owned Employer BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In 2018, equally male/female-owned businesses (EOB), businesses half owned by men and half owned by women, totaled 860,754 employer businesses, employed 7,970,121 workers, generated $1.3 trillion in annual sales receipt, and paid $280 billion in annual |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 09/27/2021 |
Small Business Commodity ChallengesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
– Small Businesses are struggling to obtain key goods to operate, further financially impacting them as they recover from the pandemic – Domestic supply delays are coinciding with higher commodity prices for small businesses |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (CA), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 08/05/2021 |
Facts on Women-owned Employer BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
There were roughly 12 million women-owned businesses in 2017.* According to the 2019 Annual Business Survey, women employer businesses numbered 1.1 million, employed 10.1 million workers, and accumulated $1.8 trillion in receipts. Women-owned firms make up 20% of all employer firms. Women remain underrepresented in every demographic group. Most women-owned firms are small. 90% of all women-owned businesses have no employees.* Over half of women employers have 1-4 employees. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 08/05/2021 |
Survey: Small businesses support bold investments in child care and paid leave, share views on mask and vaccine requirementDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
As Congress debates a bipartisan infrastructure plan and a larger $3.5 trillion investment in “human infrastructure,” Small Business Majority surveyed its network to understand their views on key issues being considered such as child care and paid fami |
Author: Small Business Majority |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 08/03/2021 |
COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: June 2021Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project tracking the public’s attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. The most recent update, published June 30, 2021, contains important insights for business leaders that can inform workplace approaches to help end the pandemic. |
Author: Kaiser Family Foundation |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 06/30/2021 |
The economic state of Black America: What is and what could beDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Dismantling the barriers that have kept Black Americans from fully participating in the US economy could unleash a tremendous wave of growth, dynamism, and productivity. This research identifies critical gaps Black Americans face in their roles as work |
Author: McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility and the McKinsey Global Institute |
Categories: Minorities |
Publication Date: 06/19/2021 |
Are Small Businesses Rebounding from COVID-19?Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Reimagine Main Street and its partners fielded a national survey of small business owners from April 28-May 12, 2021 to provide insights into how small businesses are faring and to understand what they expect the near future to bring. |
Author: Reimagine Main Street |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 05/27/2021 |
Addressing the Capitalization of CDFI MicrolendersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan funds face a common capitalization challenge as they seek to grow—they must raise net assets to enable the additional debt financing needed to support an expanding portfolio. Among CDFIs that focus on microlending—making small dollar loans of up to $50,000 to small businesses—the financial challenges are even greater, as the revenue earned on these small-dollar, relatively short-term loans typically does not cover the cost to originate and service them (Klein & Okagaki, 2018, 12-14). Thus, CDFI microlenders must also raise grant (subsidy) dollars to support the increase in their lending costs as their portfolio grows. |
Author: Business Ownership Initiative |
Categories: Microlending |
Publication Date: 05/19/2021 |
Economic Bulletin May 2021Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The COVID-19 pandemic was an economic shock to small firms and the effects were not easily predictable. An unprecedented number of establishments closed at least temporarily, jobs are rebounding but have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels, proprietor’s income rebounded quicky, and business bankruptcies seem unaffected so far. Financial conditions have improved and remain accommodative to economic growth. Meanwhile, financing remains reasonably tight for small businesses with subpar credit scores. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 05/18/2021 |
Small Biz Owners on American Rescue PlanDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small Business for America’s Future released a national survey of small business owners about their feelings toward the American Jobs Plan and the tax code. |
Author: Small Business for America’s Future |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 05/13/2021 |
PPP Loans Marred by Racial DisparitiesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
An analysis of Paycheck Protection Program lending reveals stark disparities across the country. In the LA area, businesses in White neighborhoods received loans at a far higher rate than in Latinx, Black and Asian ones. |
Author: Reveal, LA Times |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 05/01/2021 |
SBA Semiannual Report to CongressDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
More than a year has passed since the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic sparked a nationwide economic crisis. Since March 2020, our focus has been on providing oversight of SBA’s pandemic response efforts to combat program fraud, ensuring these programs are being efficiently and effectively managed. |
Author: Office of the Inspector General |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 04/30/2021 |
2021 Report on Firms Owned by BIPOCDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted communities of color and small busi- nesses of color, in many cases to a greater extent than their white counterparts. Prior to the pandemic, small businesses owned by people of color, in aggregate, faced greater challenges than white-owned firms The 2020 Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) provides evidence that the pandemic exacerbated those challenges, an important finding as those businesses continue to weather the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 04/15/2021 |
State of the Older Entrepreneur during COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Business ownership has the potential to be a financial bulwark, especially for business owners of color. Age 45+ business owners entered the pandemic with much stronger financial cushions than similar age employees and business owners under the age of 45. However, our analysis of survey data for small employer firms collected in late 2020 and detailed interviews with 25 business owners finds that older small business owners, and particularly business owners of color, had difficulty accessing funds to stay open and have experienced significant personal financial hardship during the pandemic. The future of these businesses—and the owners’ personal financial lives—is particularly salient, given that they are the lion’s share of small businesses. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, AARP |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 04/08/2021 |
Promoting Racial Equity through TaxesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Legacies of historical racist policies and ongoing discrimination in areas such as education, employment, and housing have barred many Californians of color from economic opportunities. As a result, Californians of color — particularly Black, Latinx, and American Indian Californians — are less likely to have high incomes and to have built enough wealth to be able to weather periods of income loss, retire comfortably, and pass on wealth to their children. These barriers have also made Californians of color more likely to have experienced health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. One area policymakers should consider in efforts to address these inequities is the state’s tax and revenue policies. Although these policies may appear race-neutral, they can play a significant role in either worsening existing racial and ethnic income and wealth disparities or promoting greater equity for Californians. A policy need not be explicitly racist in order to have racially inequitable outcomes.1 Because many current state tax policies privilege Californians with higher incomes and wealth, they widen existing racial inequities. Policymakers can also use tax policy as a tool to promote racial equity, both by making the tax code itself more equitable, and by raising revenue to invest in the social and economic well-being of Californians of color. |
Author: California Budget & Policy Center |
Categories: Economics (CA), Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 04/08/2021 |
Wealth Equity & Employee OwnershipDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Drawing on recent research, this issue brief – co-authored by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, and the Democracy at Work Institute – makes a case for why policymakers, funders, and investors who care about racial and gender wealth equity should support employee share ownership. Informed by a roundtable discussion which brought together researchers, philanthropic leaders, investors, policy experts, and advocates, the paper provides a set of concrete policy and practice ideas to expand employee ownership and advance equity and economic justice. We hope this paper contributes to a broader collaborative effort to spread employee share ownership policies and practices that support economic recovery and lay the foundation for a more equitable and resilient economy. |
Author: Democracy at Work Institute, the Aspen Institute, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities, Women |
Publication Date: 04/01/2021 |
1 Million Black Businesses SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
HOPE and SurveyMonkey released the findings of the inaugural HOPE Minority Small Business Index survey which examines the sentiments and attitudes of aspiring and established Black business owners. Our inaugural survey, the first of its kind, demonstrates a high level of resiliency on the part of African American business owners. |
Author: Operation HOPE, Survey Monkey |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 03/31/2021 |
Science/Tech Workers and Small FirmsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small businesses play a special role in innovation. In 2018, 37% of high-tech workers worked for small businesses. According to the Census Bureau’s data series, Innovation Measurement Initiative, the bulk of STEM-related researchers working on funded research at universities go into the private sector after completing their research, and a significant share go on to work at small businesses. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 03/30/2021 |
Women Business Ownership 2017-2018Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Women-owned firms made up only 19.9% of all firms that employed people in the United States in 2018 but their numbers are growing. There were 6,861 more women-owned firms in 2018 than in 2017, up 0.6% to 1.1 million, according to the Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey (ABS). |
Author: U.S. Census Bureau |
Categories: Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 03/29/2021 |
Paths to Business OwnershipDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
About two-thirds of business owners start their business from scratch, while less than a quarter of owners purchased the business they own. The starting method for small businesses tends to be relatively stable over time but differs based on owner demographics. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 03/23/2021 |
Who Started Businesses During the Pandemic? A Survey of Women Starting Businesses During COVIDDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Economists have long been sounding the alarm that Black, Latinx, and female workers and small business owners are being hit the hardest with the economic fallout from the pandemic. But what’s less talked about is the record number of businesses that st |
Author: Gusto |
Categories: Women |
Publication Date: 03/17/2021 |
Small Business and Bank LocationsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) analyzed the relationship between large banks that make small business loans and the number of branches those banks operate in each county in the United States. |
Author: National Community Reinvestment Coalition |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 03/17/2021 |
Effects of Small Loans on GrowthDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Since 1980, the number of commercial banks has dropped from 14,400 to 4,600. Given the decrease in commercial banking options, it is important to understand the long-term trends of banking industry dynamics by size of bank, as well as the impact of small business lending on bank growth and small business success. This report finds a decline in bank dynamism with falling new bank entry rates and increasing exit rates for small banks. Additionally, the authors found that small business loans are positively associated with the growth of small banks and small business success. Read “Effects of Small Loans on Bank and Small Business Growth” to learn more. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 03/09/2021 |
Social Compact for Work and WorkersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Through its work, the Future of Work Commission identified critical challenges for California to address for work and workers. Many of the challenges for work and workers have existed for years. Here we focus on those that, if unaddressed, could persist or worsen. These challenges are informed by technological and economic trends underway in California and by anticipated future shocks and opportunities. Many of the challenges identified by the Commission have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Author: Future of Work California |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 03/02/2021 |
Effects of COVID-19 on Small BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
A new issue brief from the Office of Advocacy, “The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Small Businesses,” examines the effects of COVID-19 on small businesses using the first sets of available economic data. The economic impact of the pandemic varied from place to place, with metropolitan and coastal areas hardest hit. Additionally, some industries suffered more than others, with the largest declines in restaurant and taxi and limousine services. Disproportionate metropolitan impacts contributed to differences across demographic categories, with Black and Asian business owners suffering the most. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 03/02/2021 |
Policy Priorities of Biz Owners of ColorDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
As the pandemic disproportionately affects small businesses and communities of color, the new administration and Congress are currently debating a range of policy responses. Yet there is a gap in available data reflecting absolute and relative experience and policy preferences of AAPI-, Black-, Hispanic- and Native-owned small businesses. Reimagine Main Street fielded a national survey of small business owners from January 7-27, 2021 to provide timely insight into issue priorities and policy preferences of samples of AAPI-, Black-, Hispanic-, and White-owned businesses. |
Author: Reimagine Main Street |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 03/01/2021 |
Small Biz Struggling to Access CapitalDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
A new national survey of small business owners sheds light on their struggles to secure financing and their views on policy solutions that could help small businesses survive and grow post-pandemic. |
Author: Small Business Majority |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 02/17/2021 |
NWBC Roundtable ReportDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) released its 2020 #LetsTalkBusiness Roundtable Series Report, a collection of testimonials from women entrepreneurs on current challenges and opportunities associated with access to capital, childcare, and patenting and trademark. |
Author: National Women’s Business Council |
Categories: Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 02/04/2021 |
2021 Report on Employer FirmsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The publication of this report seeks to document the toll the COVID-19 pandemic took on small businesses in 2020. At the time our survey was fielded, six months into the pandemic, closures, layoffs, depressed revenue, and uncertainty continued to plague small businesses across the country. Small business debt mounted and business owners plowed their personal savings into their firms to keep them afloat. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 02/03/2021 |
Loan Modifications for Small Biz in a PandemicDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program provided forgivable loans to help businesses survive the COVID-19 economic collapse. But that wasn’t enough. About four million small businesses closed permanently in 2020, and many needed other options, like modifications to outstanding loans and credit card debt. New research from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) found that Black and Latino small business owners had less access to those options than White small business owners. |
Author: National Community Reinvestment Coalition |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 02/02/2021 |
Local Small Business LendingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Lending to businesses in counties where a bank has no branches is highly sensitive to economic conditions. During the 2007 recession, distant lending contracted far more sharply than local lending, leaving the share of loans made at a distance lower than it had been at the beginning of the century. This study suggests that the presence of local bank branches might help small businesses weather economic downturns. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 12/30/2020 |
Nonemployer Statistics by DemographicsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics series (NES-D) provides information on the demographic characteristics of nonemployer businesses. |
Author: United States Census Bureau |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 12/17/2020 |
Economic Bulletin, December 2020Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Economic Bulletin for December examines how small businesses have been faring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall self-employment levels have been relatively steady, but income changes from small business owners have been choppy. Additionally, the lack of recent data on business closures makes it difficult to assess the overall state of small business. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 12/08/2020 |
Small Business Pulse SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS) measures the effect of changing business conditions during the Coronavirus pandemic on our nation’s small businesses. SBPS complements existing U.S. Census Bureau data collections by providing high-frequency, detailed information on the challenges small businesses are facing during the Coronavirus pandemic. |
Author: U.S. Census Bureau |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 11/19/2020 |
The State of Financial Security 2020Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program has, for five years, tracked the challenges that face American households and learned from the leadership and example of our partners in the field. They have taken a step back to take stock of what leaders have learned over the past five years. The result is their new framework and an updated vision for the financial security field. |
Author: The Aspen Institute |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 11/09/2020 |
Pandemic Pressures City BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted metropolitan areas, which have seen a higher rate of small business closures than non-metropolitan areas. However, in recent weeks, the New York City metropolitan area has reopened faster than the national rate. Read “Small Business Facts: Pandemic Pressures City Businesses” to learn more. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 11/04/2020 |
COVID-19 Small Business InsightsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
At Core Strategy Partners we were wondering how fellow small business owners are dealing with this new normal. We set out to do what we do best; gather in-depth insights and offer ways to turn those insights into action. We spoke with small business owners across the nation about their experiences. The following pages reveal what we discovered. |
Author: Core Strategy Partners |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 10/24/2020 |
SBA Frequently Asked QuestionsSneak PeakDescription
Advocacy’s most requested publication, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, gathers the most up-to-date statistics about American small businesses in one place. Updated annually, the FAQ is a convenient place to find facts about the total number of small businesses, their share of employment and net new jobs, and their overall contribution to the U.S. economy. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 10/22/2020 |
Businesses Won’t Survive Without Additional ReliefDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small Business Majority’s latest survey reveals that the uncertainty of whether more help will arrive has left too many small businesses on the brink of collapse. The survey finds that without additional funding, more than 1 in 3 (35%) small business owners will not survive past the next three months. The number is even higher for small business owners of color: an astounding 41% of Black and Latino-owned businesses won’t make it through the next few months without additional financial support. And 1 in 5 small business owners report they’ve considered filing for bankruptcy. |
Author: Small Business Majority |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/20/2020 |
Big Ideas for Small BusinessDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Given current market conditions, it is clear that absent major federal interventions, whole swathes of the small-business sector will never return, minority business owners will suffer more than their fair share of the burden, and entrepreneurship levels will remain depressed for a generation or more. But the collision of these forces—COVID-19, economic consolidation, and deep racial inequality—also create a window of opportunity for significant reform. This report provides a five-step roadmap towards a more inclusive, dynamic, and productive small-business sector. We break down the five steps into ten major policy recommendations. While the federal government must take the lead for many of our recommendations, we also suggest how it can galvanize the full energy of public, private and civic institutions. |
Author: Drexel University Nowak Metro Finance Lab, Yale ISPS |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/19/2020 |
PPP Neglected the Neediest Small BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report provides preliminary findings from the Select Subcommittee’s ongoing investigation of the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury). The report finds that contrary to Congress’s clear intent, the Trump Administration and many big banks failed to prioritize small businesses in underserved markets, including minority and women-owned businesses. As a result, small businesses that were truly in need of financial support during the economic crisis often faced longer waits and more obstacles to receiving PPP funding than larger, wealthier companies. |
Author: U.S. House of Representatives |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/16/2020 |
Creating Entrepreneurship Pathways for Opportunity YouthDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In 2017, the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions launched the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund, which explores entrepreneurship as a pathway to economic self-determination and wealth-building for opportunity youth. Del Norte County and Tribal Lands, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and San Francisco, California received YEF grants. The Aspen Forum partnered with the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative to co-lead a community of practice among the YEF grantees and document the learnings from this work. Their new case study, “Creating Entrepreneurship Pathways for Opportunity Youth: Lessons From Del Norte and Tribal Lands, California,” explores the local context and history of the opportunity youth efforts and how entrepreneurship fits into the larger body of community-building work in Del Norte. |
Author: The Aspen Institute |
Categories: Microbusiness, Youth |
Publication Date: 10/12/2020 |
San Francisco Entrepreneurs of Color FundDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
San Francisco Entrepreneurs of Color Fund: Creating a Continuum of Capital and Consulting The Aspen Institute First published October 2020 Structural inequities—both historical and current—have created barriers for entrepreneurs of color to build wealt |
Author: The Aspen Institute |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (CA), Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 10/08/2020 |
Ownership and OpportunityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In a new report from Urban Reform Institute edited by Joel Kotkin, J.H. Cullum Clark and Anne Snyder explore what happens when opportunity stalls. Pete Saunders and Karla Lopez del Rio tell the story of how homeownership enabled upward mobility for their respective families. Wendell Cox quantifies the connection between urban containment policies and housing affordabilty. |
Author: Urban Reform Institute |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 10/07/2020 |
Micro Businesses Create Meaningful JobsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Inland Empire Women’s Business Center and the Coachella Valley Women’s Center conducted a study of their clients to learn more about what helps business owners become employers, creating new jobs for the region. The study also examined the types of jobs provided by micro-businesses and the wages and benefits offered. They discovered that micro-business jobs are often close to home, are flexible to accommodate caregiving and educational pursuits and are a career path. |
Author: Micro-Enterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California, Inland Empire & Coachella Valley WBCs |
Categories: Economics (CA), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 09/10/2020 |
2019 Small Business Lending in the USDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report uses the latest publicly available lending data from banks to examine changes in small business credit for June 2017 through June 2019. The data used was collected prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and provides a precrisis benchmark on the state of small business lending. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 09/10/2020 |
Black Business Owners Hit Hard by PandemicDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Black owners show biggest decline in business activity. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on business owners have varied across demographic groups. Data on demographic characteristics and self-employment are collected through the Current Population Survey and available through IPUMS. In July 2020, the total number of people who were self-employed and working was 7.3 percent lower than in July 2019. That decline was a partial recovery from April 2020, when the decline was 20.2 percent relative to April 2019. Declines have been largest for Black self-employed workers, with a decline of 37.6 percent in April and a partial recovery to a decline of 18.4 percent in July. The effects of the pandemic have varied by industry, and demographic differences in the effects of the pandemic reflect demographic differences in distributions across industries. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 08/31/2020 |
COVID’s Effect on Female-Owned Small BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Women-owned small businesses have been more heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic than male-owned small businesses, and they are less likely to anticipate a strong recovery in the year ahead, new data show. The Special Report on Women-Owned Small Businesses During COVID-19 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also found that women-owned small businesses have less optimistic revenue, investment and hiring plans compared to male-owned small businesses. |
Author: U.S. Chamber of Commerce |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 08/25/2020 |
2020 Small Biz Profiles for CA Congressional DistrictsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Each profile focuses on the impact of small businesses in 436 congressional districts. Within, readers can find the congressional district’s total number of small employers and their industry breakout, plus the number of workers employed and payroll expended by small businesses. Additionally, the profiles provide a map showing the total number and distribution of self-employed workers across the district. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (CA), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 08/25/2020 |
Banks Response to Racism and COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Given the financial sector’s history of systemic exclusion and discrimination, the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) and the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) worked together to analyze banking relief that is currently being made available to consumers and borrowers, identify gaps and best practices, and outline recommendations for financial institutions and policymakers on how to dismantle systemic racism in banking and to reimagine relief and reforms that banks should embrace. |
Author: CRC, San Francisco OFE |
Categories: Access to Capital, Minorities |
Publication Date: 08/05/2020 |
Vulnerable Households Navigating Impact of COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The COVID-19 pandemic has already had an unprecedented impact on the financial lives of households across the country. During June and July 2020, Prosperity Now conducted a national survey of lower-income households to better understand the circumstances these households are confronted with and the strategies they use to secure resources to navigate this crisis. |
Author: Prosperity Now |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 08/05/2020 |
COVID-19’s Effects in Black CommunitiesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The effects of the pandemic on small businesses amid forced closings, modified re-openings, and weakened demand, are well documented. Black businesses experienced the most acute decline, with a 41 percent drop. This brief examines the reasons why Black firms have been almost twice as likely to shutter as small firms overall. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of New York |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 08/05/2020 |
Lending Discrimination within PPPDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Since March 2020, businesses in the U.S. have been struggling to continue operations in the face of a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a recession because of the widespread closures of non-essential businesses enacted to reduce the spread of the virus. Even as things begin to reopen, people are less likely to go out due to possible health risks. In response, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act which created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP is a lending program that provides money, in a potential grant format, to small businesses to help them weather the economic effects of the pandemic. The majority of the loan needs to be allocated for employee salaries and then the remainder can be used for other business expenses like rent and loan payments. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the disparities in small business lending we have detected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic continued with implementation of the PPP program. |
Author: NCRC |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 07/15/2020 |
Impact of COVID-19 on LMI CommunitiesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Federal Reserve’s community development function promotes the economic resilience and mobility of low- to moderate-income and underserved households and communities across the country. The spread of COVID-19 is having an impact on communities nationwide. To best respond to this crisis, information is needed about the scope and scale of the pandemic’s challenges. Throughout 2020, all 12 Reserve Banks and the Fed Board of Governors are surveying representatives of nonprofit organizations, financial institutions, government agencies, and other community organizations to understand the effects of COVID-19 on low- to moderate-income communities and the entities serving them. The results of each survey will be released as a downloadable report. |
Author: Federal Reserve |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 07/09/2020 |
Impact of PPP on Small BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
To determine the initial effectiveness of government relief efforts, Gusto analyzed data from nearly 27,000 of our small business customers who reported receiving PPP loans and compared it to platform data from our 100,000-plus small business customers nationwide[1]. The report below shows that PPP aid has helped to provide stabilization from the initial free fall in March ‘20, with strong increases in hiring and rehiring beginning in the second half of April ‘20. |
Author: Daniel Sternberg, Sarah Gustafson |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Microbusiness, Microlending, Policy |
Publication Date: 07/09/2020 |
A New Rating System for CRADownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
NCRC developed a new ratings system for quantitative measures on banks’ community development financing under CRA. Our suggested ratings could increase community development lending and investment between $15 billion to $28 billion annually. |
Author: National Community Reinvestment Coalition |
Categories: Access to Capital, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 07/07/2020 |
Minority-Owned Businesses Hit Hardest by PandemicDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This fact sheet shows that across the United States, businesses owned by Black, Latinx, and Asian people have closed down at an alarming rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between February and April of 2020 alone, more than 3 million small businesses closed down across the country. Businesses owned by people of color, women, and immigrants have been most severely harmed, closing down faster than the national average |
Author: Robert Fairlie, Insight Center |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 07/30/2020 |
Self-Employed Hit Hard by PandemicDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Self-employed workers in states where businesses are hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic are more likely to face economic hardships, according to new findings from the U.S. Census Bureau’s experimental Household and Small Business Pulse surveys. |
Author: Mark Klee, Lynda Laughlin, Robert Munk |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 06/30/2020 |
Small Business Finances During COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report provides a first look at the effect of COVID-19 and the ensuing economic downturn on America’s small businesses. We examine small business changes in cash balances, revenues, and expenses through April 2020 using a de-identified sample of nearly 1.3 million small firms nationwide. This sample is based on the anonymized transactions of deposit accounts and represents both nonemployer and employer firms. The vast majority—over 80 percent—of small businesses are nonemployers, which is reflected in our sample. |
Author: JPMorgan Chase |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 06/24/2020 |
Freelancing in America 2019Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Commissioned by Upwork and Freelancers Union, this study analyzes the size and impact of the freelance economy, as well as the motivations and challenges of this way of working. This year 53 percent of Gen Z workers freelanced—the highest independent workforce participation of any age bracket since FIA’s launch in 2014. |
Author: Upwork, Freelancers Union |
Categories: Microbusiness, New Era Workforce |
Publication Date: 06/22/2020 |
Opportunity Zones for Equitable DevelopmentDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Opportunity Zones (OZs) are gaining momentum, and now that the rules regulating them are clearer, investors, local officials, developers, and businesses have been engaging with the incentive. In the two years since the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 created the incentive and Treasury-designated Zones, hundreds of Qualified Opportunity Funds (QOFs) have been created, and OZ investment was beginning to flow until the COVID-19 crisis began. But has this capital been reaching projects that benefit low- and moderate-income households and communities? Although the program is still maturing, and the COVID-19 crisis now poses new challenges whose resolution is unknown, this report offers an early, qualitative assessment of how well OZs have channeled capital into projects aligned with equitable development goals. |
Author: The Urban Institute |
Categories: Economics (General), Policy |
Publication Date: 06/17/2020 |
Small Business Employment PlummetsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Since a declaration of emergency for COVID-19 was issued on March 13, 2020, total private employment dropped by over 15 percent. Small businesses employers bore the brunt of the job loss, with a decline of more than 17 percent. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 06/01/2020 |
COVID-19’s Effect on Minority Small BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Whether by necessity or ingenuity, minority-owned small businesses may be giving us an early sign of how US businesses will adapt in the wake of COVID-19. These businesses are experimenting with new ways of working to ensure their employees’ safety, offering monetary relief to employees and community members, and introducing new services such as free delivery to those who need it. |
Author: McKinsey |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 05/29/2020 |
Responsible Lending in Subprime Automotive FinanceDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Since its founding in 2007, Tricolor has empowered customers by providing access to affordable financing on high quality, certified vehicles in order to enhance the quality of their lives and ultimately help them to build a better future. For more than a decade, Tricolor has successfully scored no file and thin file Hispanics, as evidenced by five well-received ABS securitizations. |
Author: Tricolor Holdings |
Categories: Microlending |
Publication Date: 05/22/2020 |
California 2020 Small Business ProfileDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In the fourth quarter of 2019, California grew at an annual rate of 2.2%, which was faster than the overall US growth rate of 2.1%. California’s 2019 overall growth rate of 2.6% was down from the 2018 rate of 4.3%. (Source: BEA) In April 2020, the unemployment rate was 15.5%, up from 4.2% in April 2019. This was above the April 2020 national unemployment rate of 14.7%. (Source: CPS) |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (CA), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 05/20/2020 |
2018 Annual Business SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The U.S. Census Bureau released new estimates showing 1.1 million employer firms were owned by women and 1.0 million by minorities. According to the 2018 Annual Business Survey (ABS), covering year 2017, 5.6% (322,076) of all U.S. businesses were Hispanic-owned and 6.1% (351,237) were owned by veterans. |
Author: U.S. Census Bureau |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities, Women |
Publication Date: 05/19/2020 |
State of Small Business ReportDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Small Business Roundtable (SBR) and Facebook have partnered to release the State of Small Business Report on the impact of small businesses on the U.S. economy. The survey was conducted with approximately 86,000 people who owned, managed or worked for a small or medium-sized business (“SMB”). |
Author: Facebook, Small Business Roundtable |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 05/18/2020 |
Did the PPP Hit the Target?Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
This paper takes an early look at the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a large and novel small business support program that was part of the initial policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We use new data on the distribution of the first round of PPP loans and high-frequency microlevel employment data to consider two dimensions of program targeting. |
Author: National Bureau of Economic Research |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 05/06/2020 |
Bank Lending and the Financial CrisisDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report provides an analysis of how lending changed overall and in rural vs. urban areas before, during, and after the financial crisis of 2008-2010. The analysis shows that rural firms have poorer access to bank credit than their urban counterparts in terms of both the amount and number of loans and that this situation has deteriorated, rather than improved during the post-crisis years of 2011-2016. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Microbusiness, Microlending, Policy, Rural |
Publication Date: 05/05/2020 |
Economically Vulnerable Neighborhoods to COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report and its accompanying interactive map show the vulnerability of every U.S. neighborhood to the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. |
Author: Initiative for a Competitive Inner City |
Categories: Economics (General), Minorities |
Publication Date: 04/30/2020 |
The Impact of COVID-19 on CommunitiesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report offers findings of a survey designed to collect information on the effects of COVID-19 on communities and the entities serving them. |
Author: Federal Reserve |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 04/30/2020 |
Small Business Facts: COVID-19 DisruptionsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
When economic conditions are changing rapidly, data collected in the course of administering government programs can provide valuable information about recent developments. Timely data about economic conditions during the coronavirus pandemic have been provided by initial unemployment insurance claims and applications related to new businesses. These administrative data reveal severe economic disruptions in recent weeks. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 04/24/2020 |
COVID-19 California Small Business PollDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The poll, conducted by Chesapeake Beach Consulting for Small Business Majority, surveyed California small business owners between April 7 and 10, 2020. The survey sheds light on a shocking rate of business closures, as well as small business owners’ views on proposals that can help ensure they are able to reopen and recover once the crisis is over. |
Author: Small Business Majority |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (CA), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 04/21/2020 |
Can Small Firms Weather COVID-19?Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
With each day that passes, the far-reaching economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic become increasingly apparent. Of particular concern are the effects the pandemic is having and will continue to have on small businesses as they endure the direct impacts of social distancing directives, including temporary closures and modified operations. With declining revenues, many small firms have had to lay off employees. Governments have begun offering small business loans with attractive interest rates and repayment terms in order to help smooth cash flow and retain employees. While we do not have real-time data on the quickly changing small business conditions, the 2019 Small Business Credit Survey sheds light on how firms are likely to remain afloat during this uncertain time. |
Author: Federal Reserve |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 04/10/2020 |
2020 Report on Employer FirmsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The results of the survey raise several important considerations in the current environment: most firms are ill-prepared for a sustained period of revenue loss; firms’ reliance on personal funds could mean severe repercussions for those individuals and households in the event of failure; and many small businesses do not rely on traditional banks for credit, and, therefore, any program designed to support them should take that into consideration. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 04/10/2020 |
Federal Fiscal Relief and COVID-19Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020 and provides the largest amount of fiscal relief to date – approximately $2 trillion. The CARES Act includes one-time cash rebates for low- and middle-income households; additional support for unemployment benefits; loans for small businesses; direct funding for states, local governments, and tribal communities; funds changes to food assistance in the Families First legislation; an array of additional health care supports; and some additional support for human services, housing and homelessness, and student debt relief. While this analysis will focus on the relief and assistance summarized above, the CARES Act also includes $500 billion in loans and other investment for businesses and a series of tax provisions that primarily will primarily benefit large corporations and higher-income households. |
Author: California Budget and Policy Center |
Categories: Economics (CA), Economics (General), Policy |
Publication Date: 04/06/2020 |
CDFI Friendly AmericaDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
CDFI Friendly America: A White Paper Introducing the CDFI Friendly Strategy for Smaller Cities and Towns By Mark A. Pinsky & Adina Abramowitz First posted March 2020 The purpose of this White Paper is to introduce a new way for America’s small citi |
Author: Mark A. Pinsky & Adina Abramowitz |
Categories: Access to Capital, Business Development Services, Microlending, Policy |
Publication Date: 03/13/2020 |
Community Investment Fund HandbookDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This handbook shines a spotlight on an emerging generation of practical, intelligent activists who are reinventing local financial systems. Even as they criticize capitalism, they are using – and mastering – its financial tools to solve local challenges. In the pages ahead you’ll find an emerging set of tools we call community investment funds. Our purpose and hope in preparing this guide is that you’ll consider creating one of these funds for your own community. |
Author: National Coalition for Community Capital |
Categories: Access to Capital, Local Economy (DIY Economy) |
Publication Date: 03/06/2020 |
SBA Lending DataDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The San Francisco District office has released new data on SBA guaranteed lending programs, accompanied with a user-friendly interface for visualizing and customizing the data to local areas. Create custom reports with lists of businesses that have benefited from SBA programs, find the active lenders in your neighborhood, and see trends going back to 1990. |
Author: Small Business Administration |
Categories: Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 03/05/2020 |
California’s Nonprofit Sector 2019Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
California’s nonprofits bring more than $40 billion into California each year from out-of-state sources, and one in every 14 California jobs is at a nonprofit. |
Author: CalNonprofits |
Categories: Business Development Services, Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 02/26/2020 |
Community Quality of Life PlacemakingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Entrepreneurial ecosystem building is about growing an environment where entrepreneurial talent can be inspired and supported. More and better entrepreneurial ventures are outcomes of strong community-based entrepreneurial ecosystems. |
Author: E2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems |
Categories: Microbusiness, Rural |
Publication Date: 02/26/2020 |
2019 U.S. Worker CooperativesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report is a co-production of Democracy at Work Institute and the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives. It is based on the participating 106 businesses. Only responding businesses that are incorporated, generated revenue and paid workers during FY2018 were included in the effort. |
Author: Democracy at Work Institute |
Categories: New Era Workforce |
Publication Date: 02/10/2020 |
2017 Small Business Lending in the U.S.Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
U.S. banks play an integral role as credit suppliers to small businesses. Small businesses comprise of nearly all employer firms in the economy and employ 47.3 percent of the private sector workforce (SBA Advocacy, 2019). The existence and performance of these vibrant businesses depend on how banks and other financial intermediaries are responding to their credit needs. This report uses publicly available data on U.S. banks to analyze the patterns in small business lending. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Policy |
Publication Date: 01/29/2020 |
Characteristics Of Older Self-Employed IndividualsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Older workers are an economically important group as they represent a large and growing portion of the United States workforce. These workers are more likely to experience health conditions that limit their options in terms of the type and amount of work they pursue. Self-employed workers who report a new work-limiting health condition are more likely to remain in the workforce than wage and salary workers who also report a work-limiting health condition. Previous research suggests that self-employment provides more opportunities to accommodate work-limiting health conditions; this report explores whether self-employed workers with work-limiting health conditions report less physically demanding jobs or different hours and weeks worked than wage and salary workers who also report work-limiting health conditions. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 01/15/2020 |
Small Business Owners Voting in Primary StatesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Thumbtack released results of its first survey of small business owners in the 2020 presidential election. The data captures sentiment and preferences from over 400 individuals in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. |
Author: Thumbtack |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 01/13/2020 |
CalSavers: 2019 HighlightsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
As we begin 2020 focused on major program growth, we’re proud to offer these highlights of CalSavers’ historic first year of active participation. In 2019, we saw our first pilot saver contributions on January 2 nd; welcomed our new board chair State Treasurer Fiona Ma on January 7th; fully launched the program statewide on July 1st; supported our early savers in amassing $1.4 million; and made many program enhancements along the way. |
Author: CalSavers |
Categories: Economics (CA), Policy |
Publication Date: 01/06/2020 |
NWBC 2019 Annual ReportDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
As this year’s report findings and policy recommendations demonstrate, we have made significant strides in advancing a new generation of women entrepreneurs. However, much work still lies ahead. In 2020, we will build on the efforts of this past year, with a laser focus on our three main policy priorities—Access to Capital and Opportunity, Women in STEM, and Rural Women’s Entrepreneurship. As a Council, we remain dedicated to furthering our mission. |
Author: National Women's Business Council |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 12/20/2019 |
Advancing Gender Equality in Venture CapitalDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This research report describes the current state of gender equality in the U.S. venture capital (VC) industry and offers a practical way forward to close its significant gender gaps. It is intended to be an accessible resource for practitioners in the venture ecosystem, as well as a helpful reference document for journalists, scholars, and others interested in understanding gender dynamics in venture capital. |
Author: Harvard Kennedy School |
Categories: Access to Capital, Women |
Publication Date: 10/03/2019 |
Local Entrepreneurial Ecosystem ToolkitDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Rural economic development strategies need to adjust to these new trends to include a place-based approach to rural economic development that will foster a healthy ecosystem for the creation and growth of small businesses. This toolkit describes the elements of a healthy ecosystem. The introduction flushes out why a new economic development tool is needed and briefly describes the elements. The five subsequent chapters explore more in-depth the five elements that make up a strong ecosystem. |
Author: Heidi Pickman, Susan Brown |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy, Rural |
Publication Date: 11/12/2019 |
Small Businesses Advancing EquityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Leaders in philanthropy increasingly recognize the role of business in advancing their objectives. To date, the focus of most efforts to engage business has been primarily on large companies. By contrast, the role of small business in creating healthy, equitable communities has generally not been explored. |
Author: Public Private Strategies |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 10/25/2019 |
CDFIs by The NumbersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Richmond Fed’s recent report, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) by the Numbers, provides findings from the 2019 Federal Reserve CDFI Survey. CDFIs are specialized financial institutions operating in markets that are underserved by traditional financial institutions. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond |
Categories: Access to Capital, Business Development Services, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 10/23/2019 |
Small Business Economic Bulletin October 2019Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small businesses show strength in self-employment increases, proprietors’ income gains, job creation advances and births staying above deaths. Loan delinquency rates remain low, but small business loan demand is waning. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 10/21/2019 |
Diversity and Inclusion at CDFIsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
FUND CI conducted research to identify the best practices of CDFIs that are recognized as being ahead of the curve in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion both internally and externally. The purpose is to share both innovative and replicable practices for use by other CDFIs in advancing their own diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. |
Author: FUND Community Institute |
Categories: Access to Capital, Business Development Services, Minorities |
Publication Date: 10/21/2019 |
Causes Count – Sneak PeekDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The nonprofit sector is a powerful economic engine in California, especially when it comes to employment and wages. The nonprofit industry employs more than 1.2 million Californians and, in 2016, paid a total of $74 Billion in wages. |
Author: CalNonprofits |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 10/08/2019 |
Female Founding Gaps in Agri-FoodTechDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Agri-FoodTech is an emerging category within the food startup universe with enormous potential to impact critical issues from climate change to food insecurity. More and more venture capital is being invested in the sector, but it’s not reaching one of the leading groups of entrepreneurs—female founders. |
Author: AgFunder, KK&P, The New Food Economy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 10/04/2019 |
Income Inequality Widens among CaliforniansDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
New Census figures released show rising income inequality across the state and millions of California residents who are struggling to get by on extremely low incomes, while higher-income households experienced more income growth. Even as the latest figures also show there is a decline in the official poverty rate in California, these findings underscore the need for policymakers to ensure that the benefits of California’s strong economy and recent economic growth are shared among all Californians. |
Author: California Budget & Policy Center |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 09/27/2019 |
Small Business Owners on HealthcareDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
There are an estimated 30.7 million small businesses (defined as those with fewer than 500 employees) in the United States, employing approximately 60 million people.1 Small firms make up 99 percent of U.S. employers, and these businesses create 66 percent of new private-sector jobs.2 Small businesses, like their larger counterparts, have not been shielded from the increasing cost of health care. Without advantages such as a larger pool of insured employees, more bargaining power with health insurance companies, and the benefit of full-time human resources personnel, small-business owners are often left with little recourse and few options when a health insurance carrier hikes costs. |
Author: The Commonwealth Fund |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 09/09/2019 |
Inequity in Small Business LendingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Better-qualified black and Hispanic testers who shopped for small business loans at Los Angeles area bank branches were treated worse than less qualified white testers, a new study found. The study, from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), also found steep declines in government-backed lending to black business owners between 2008 and 2016. |
Author: Amber Lee, Bruce Mitchell, Anneliese Lederer |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 09/04/2019 |
Building Women’s Wealth Through Business OwnershipDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report explores ways business ownership can serve as a wealth-building tool for women, explains the systemic barriers impeding women’s ability to build wealth through business ownership, and suggests ways grant makers, policy advocates, and practitioners can intentionally promote wealth-building by entrepreneurial women through business ownership. |
Author: Asset Funders Network |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 07/23/2019 |
Latino Economic Well-Being in CADownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In this report, we provide an up-to-date overview of the current economic conditions for Latinos, focused on the four key relating factors of income distribution, education, housing, and entrepreneurship. The report establishes a baseline of data that can be used to measure Latino economic progress over time. We also introduce the Latino Economic Index (LEI) that provides a visual data snapshot of Latino economic well-being at the regional and community level in California. With this index, we explore geographic hot spots of opportunity and identify areas that call for the most urgent investment and policy outcomes. |
Author: Mindy S. Romero |
Categories: Economics (CA), Minorities |
Publication Date: 07/09/2019 |
2019 California Economy FactsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
California’s economy in 2018 ranks as the fifth largest in the world – larger than the UK, India, France, Brazil, Italy, Canada, Korea, and Russia. |
Author: California Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 07/09/2019 |
The State of Independence 2019Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The MBO Partners State of Independence report presents an annual snapshot of a rapidly evolving and increasingly important component of the U.S. economy: the independent workforce. In 2019, the 9th annual report and the industry’s longest-running comprehensive study shows that the independent workforce is strong and confident. |
Author: Emergent Research |
Categories: Microbusiness, New Era Workforce |
Publication Date: 06/18/2019 |
Small Businesses after The Great RecessionDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small businesses are essential to the economic infrastructure of both lower-income and higher-income neighborhoods. In this report, we compare small business performance in lower-income vs higher-income areas. Findings offer some directions for growing small businesses in LMI and ethnic/minority neighborhoods. |
Author: Maude Toussaint-Comeau, Robin Newberger, and Mark O’Dell |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 06/07/2019 |
The Future of BankingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report is based on research findings from focus groups and interviews. The focus groups were conducted with LMI individuals in Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego, and the interviews were done with policy experts, regulators and representatives from the financial services sector. In sharing their experiences with the financial system, we have identified common challenges encountered by LMI consumers of color, and offer recommendations to address on-going barriers to financial inclusion. |
Author: UnidosUS, PolicyLink |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 06/06/2019 |
Entrepreneurship in Communities of ColorDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This guide gives ecosystem builders and local developers an overview of key concepts and general recommendations on how to use entrepreneurship ecosystem building to develop high-growth entrepreneurship in communities of color. The information in this guide was compiled through conversations with industry leaders, prior research and current ecosystem builders who have designed and led successful inclusive ecosystem building strategies in communities of color. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City |
Categories: Capacity Building, Local Economy (DIY Economy), Microbusiness, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 06/06/2019 |
California 2019 Small Biz ProfileDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Overall California Economy• In the third quarter of 2018, California grew at an annual rate of 3.5%, which was faster than the overall US growth rate of 3.4%. California’s 2017 growth rate of 3.0% was down from the 2016 rate of 3.1%. (Source: BEA)• In February 2019, the unemployment rate was 4.2%, down from 4.3% in February 2018. This was above the February 2019 national unemployment rate of 3.8%. (Source: CPS) |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (CA), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 04/24/2019 |
Establish a Public Credit RegistryDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
America’s credit reporting system is controlled by 3 big, for-profit companies—Experian, Transunion, and Equifax—which collect lending and payment data on 220 million Americans. They collect this data without consumers’ permission or approval, there is no way for consumers to opt out, and consumers must pay to access their own scores. |
Author: Amy Traub |
Categories: Policy |
Publication Date: 04/17/2019 |
Women-Owned Employer BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In March 2019, the Office of Advocacy published a fact sheet titled “Small Business Facts: Spotlight on Women-Owned Employer Businesses”, written by Nora Esposito, Economic Research Fellow. This fact sheet highlights contributions made by 1.1 million women-owned employer businesses to the U.S. economy, as well as areas for future growth. The fact sheet also provides information on industrial and geographic diversity of women-owned employer businesses. Read the fact sheet to learn more. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 03/25/2019 |
Nonprofit Professional DevelopmentDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
NTEN and partner Cornerstone asked nonprofit staff in all departments and of all job types to share their experiences of the practices, culture, and investment in professional development at their organization. |
Author: Robert Hulshof-Schmidt |
Categories: Capacity Building |
Publication Date: 03/25/2019 |
Small Business, Big DreamsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small Business, Big Dreams profiles nine National CAPACD members that serve AAPI small business clients in low-income communities across the country. The work of these community-based organizations is critical to maintaining and promoting the vitality of AAPI neighborhoods. This report provides a more nuanced narrative about the challenges to wealth building through entrepreneurship in low-income AAPI communities. |
Author: National CAPACD |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 03/18/2019 |
Community Development Financial InstitutionsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The CDFI Coalition, representing the nation’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), released a new report at a gathering of lawmakers, industry leaders and stakeholders today in Washington, DC. The report showcases 67 CDFIs’ work in revitalizing rural and urban areas across the country and their success in creating economic opportunity, jobs, and services. |
Author: CDFI Coalition |
Categories: Business Development Services, Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 03/13/2019 |
CA Small Business Owners On Healthcare PoliciesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Small Business Majority published a new report, California small business owners support policies to expand health coverage access and lower costs. The poll of 300 California small business owners revealed entrepreneurs strongly support proposals to bolster the state’s healthcare system, including expanding access to tax credits and addressing issues related to cost and transparency. |
Author: Small Business Majority |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 03/12/2019 |
Closing The Wealth Gap for Millennial WomenDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Today, there are about 40 million millennial women, representing 31.5% of the female population in the U.S. Millennial women do not benefit from many economic policies and systems designed by, and built to meet the needs of, men as primary breadwinners. Millennial women came of age during the Great Recession, the rise of mass incarceration, unprecedented student debt levels, and changing workforce dynamics. All of these factors contribute to the fact that millennial women are 37% more likely than Generation Xers (those born between 1965 and 1984) to be living below the federal poverty line and are more likely to be underemployed or unemployed than previous generations. |
Author: Asset Funders Network |
Categories: Economics (General), Women, Youth |
Publication Date: 03/11/2019 |
Microfinance in The United StatesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Nonprofit research organization MDRC and Grameen America, Inc., the fastest growing nonprofit microfinance organization in the United States, today released the early results of a research study, Microfinance in the United States: Early Impacts of the Grameen America Program. The study, funded by Robin Hood, is the most rigorous, independent, third-party evaluation of group microfinance in the United States, assessing Grameen America’s program, a microfinance model that provides small loans to low-income women entrepreneurs in the United States seeking to launch or expand small businesses. |
Author: MDRC |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Women |
Publication Date: 03/08/2019 |
Small Business Economic Bulletin March 2019Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Economic Bulletin for March 2019 shows gains in the number of employer small firms, owner’s income, and net job creation. The recovery of small business lending remains tentative, even with low loan delinquency rates. The bulletin provides the latest quarterly government statistics on small business income, job creation, startups, and finance. Read the Small Business Economic Bulletin to learn more. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 03/07/2019 |
Build Her UpDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
We at Thumbtack, along with our partner for this report, Square, take pride in our shared mission to make it easier than ever for aspiring entrepreneurs to take the leap and start their own business. And in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8 and Women’s History Month, we fielded an extensive survey of female small business owners to better understand their experiences of working for themselves. |
Author: Thumbtack |
Categories: Microbusiness, New Era Workforce, Women |
Publication Date: 02/26/2019 |
Shaping Small Business Lending PolicyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
With limited financial sophistication, entrepreneurial consumers approach the financial marketplace more like retail financial consumers than like business customers. However, an assumption of both legislators and regulators is that business borrowers are more financially savvy than consumer borrowers and thus do not require protections that are as broad reaching. This gap between marketplace policy protections and the lived reality of the vast majority of small business entrepreneurs sets the stage for entrepreneurial consumers to fall through the regulatory cracks, creating the potential for exploitation and abuse. This situation may be exacerbated for minority entrepreneurs, who belong to protected classes that generally are more vulnerable to exploitation in marketplaces, including the small business lending marketplace. This article details the current status of the policy gap relative to minority entrepreneurial consumers and presents a matched-pair mystery shopping study to demonstrate the critical need for reliable, primary data to inform regulatory agencies as they work to implement appropriate protections to ensure equal access to credit across the small business lending marketplace. |
Author: Sterling A. Bone, Glenn L. Christensen, Jerome D. Williams, Stella Adams, Anneliese Lederer, and Paul C. Lubin |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 02/26/2019 |
Bank Credit to Small BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In February 2019, the Office of Advocacy published a fact sheet titled “Small Business Facts: What Is the Status of Bank Credit to Small Businesses?” written by Victoria Williams, Research Economist. The fact sheet finds that small business lending growth lagged behind large business lending growth from 2016 to 2017. While small banks had higher shares of small business loans relative to their assets than large banks, large banks issued the majority of small business loans overall. Read the fact sheet to learn more. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 02/21/2019 |
Food Systems & Development FinanceDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
CDFA is pleased to announce the debut of our first white paper on how traditional development finance tools can be used to demonstrate the viability of the food system as an asset class. Many food-related initiatives, projects, and businesses have lacked sufficient resources and financing for economic and community development, largely because the food system as a whole has not been formally defined as an asset class. |
Author: Council of Development Finance Agencies |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 02/20/2019 |
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2019Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
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Author: Niels Bosma, Donna Kelley |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 02/07/2019 |
Entrepreneurship Pathways for YouthDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This new report explores the potential for using entrepreneurship to engage and create pathways for opportunity youth, by examining existing entrepreneurship programs and sharing emerging models for creating and adapting entrepreneurship programming targeted to the specific needs and aspirations of opportunity youth. |
Author: Joyce A. Klein, Yelena Nemoy |
Categories: Microbusiness, Youth |
Publication Date: 01/29/2019 |
2019 Prosperity Now ScorecardDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Prosperity Now Scorecard is a comprehensive resource for data on household financial health, racial economic inequality and policy recommendations to help put everyone in our country on a path to prosperity. |
Author: Prosperity Now |
Categories: Economics (General), Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 01/29/2019 |
Women in The CDFI IndustryDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
FUND Community Institute continues to engage in dialogue and analysis around data from its landmark study, Perception versus Reality: Women and Change in the CDFI Industry (available at www.fundci.org). This month, we examined the prevalence of women as leaders of CDFIs, and how this role may have changed since the founding of the industry. The findings suggest that women are playing leadership roles in large numbers (although not at all sizes and types of CDFIs) and that the organizations they head up may be leading the way in fostering more inclusive, family-friendly work environments. |
Author: Ruth Barber |
Categories: Business Development Services, Microlending, Women |
Publication Date: 01/22/2019 |
Before Getting An Online Business LoanDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Simply put, the purpose of this e-book is to help you fully understand what taking on an online loan truly involves and how it can impact your bottom line. While many money guides are loaded with jargon and confusing language, we break down everything you need to know into easy-to-grasp terms and examples based on real-life situations. |
Author: CDC Small Business Finance |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 01/15/2019 |
2019 Roadmap to Shared ProsperityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The 2018 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity outlines the California Economic Summit’s plans for a comprehensive agenda to address with a triple bottom line approach to solving the state’s biggest challenges. |
Author: California Economic Summit |
Categories: Economics (CA), Policy |
Publication Date: 01/03/2019 |
2017 Nonemployer Firms Credit SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Nonemployer firms are important to the United States’ economy, comprising 81% of all small businesses, employing 17% of the American workforce, and generating $1.2 trillion in annual sales. While previous research has explored why individuals seek self-employment or what conditions drive nonemployers to become employer firms, less is understood about the financial experiences and challenges of nonemployers—namely, whether or not nonemployers are succeeding financially. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 12/12/2018 |
State of Worker Cooperatives 2017Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Covering five years of business progress, the 2017 Worker Cooperative State of the Sector is a report on worker-owned business in the United States. This report is a co-production of Democracy at Work Institute and U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, drawing upon the latest developments in the field, and deepens our understanding of the sector. |
Author: Democracy At Work Institute, U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 12/06/2018 |
Millennial Women EntrepreneursDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Millennial women, those born between 1982 and 2000, represent the future of entrepreneurship in America. According to the 2015 Census Bureau data, there are 83.1 million millennials in the United States. By the year 2025, millennials will comprise 75 percent of the American workforce, and many will become entrepreneurs. |
Author: National Women's Business Council |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Women, Youth |
Publication Date: 11/28/2018 |
Financial Security of Single WomenDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The gender wealth gap continues growing even though single women have benefited from regulatory protections to reduce wealth stripping and have had increased access to institutions, products, and services that help them build wealth. This growing gap not only impacts their financial security in retirement but also their ability to pass resources on to future generations. To shepherd our collective efforts and move the needle to improve the economic well-being of single low-income women, we must understand how asset inequality is compounded by structural barriers to wealth building for women, including accessing income, tax benefits, social services programs, and financial products and services. |
Author: Asset Funders Network |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 11/27/2018 |
Growth & Evolution of CDFI PartnershipsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has researched developments in the community development financial institution (CDFI) industry on a regular basis since the 2009 inaugural launch of the biennial Survey of CDFIs in the Southeast. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond |
Categories: Business Development Services, Microlending |
Publication Date: 11/21/2018 |
2018 State of Nonprofit CybersecurityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In a world where news about cyber attacks and hackers regularly make the headlines, we knew it was necessary to better understand how nonprofit organizations were – or were not – managing security and privacy. NTEN and Microsoft surveyed more than 250 nonprofits across the US for the first State of Nonprofit Cybersecurity Report. |
Author: Nonprofit Technology Network |
Categories: Capacity Building |
Publication Date: 11/03/2018 |
Lending in Underserved MarketsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The contribution and importance of small businesses to the nation’s economy is well-researched and understood; for minority-owned small businesses, the impact and significance are even greater. Not only do minority-owned small businesses help drive job creation, raise wages, and elevate better standards of living, they also offer a critical pathway for Black and Hispanic populations to close the racial wealth gap. An increase in entrepreneurship among people of color can create income for both entrepreneurs and the people of color who work at the businesses. Yet, starting a new firm or growing an established business requires capital, and Black and Hispanic businesses have higher barriers to accessing capital. |
Author: Carolyn Schulman |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities |
Publication Date: 11/02/2018 |
Veteran Entrepreneurs and Capital AccessDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Part of the US Small Business Administration’s mission is to facilitate a successful transition to civilian life for military veterans. Understanding the current state of veteran entrepreneurship, in particular, the type of challenges veterans face in starting and growing businesses is fundamental to fulfilling this responsibility. The US Small Business Administration’s Office of Veteran Business Development (OVBD) has partnered with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to examine veteran business financing, which is critically tied to their performance and growth. Of particular concern for policymakers is whether veterans have a more difficult time accessing capital than nonveteran business owners. In order to substantiate policy intervention on behalf of veteran entrepreneurs, it is necessary to size the market and understand the needs and challenges. While anecdotal evidence points to capital access challenges, systematic data collection has been limited. This paper first outlines the current literature on veteran entrepreneurship and then presents new small business credit data from the Federal Reserve Banks’ Small Business Credit Survey. The data, for the first time, provide substantial evidence that veteran-owned businesses face greater difficulty in accessing capital relative to nonveteran-owned businesses. |
Author: Small Business Administration |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Policy, Veterans |
Publication Date: 11/01/2018 |
Freelancing in America 2018Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
This study, conducted by an independent research firm and commissioned in partnership by Upwork and Freelancers Union, surveyed more than 6,000 U.S. workers. In its fifth annual year, findings show Americans are spending more than 1 billion hours per week freelancing. Beyond quantifying the amount of freelancing happening, new insights delve into why people are increasingly choosing to work this way. |
Author: Upwork, Freelancers Union |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, New Era Workforce |
Publication Date: 10/31/2018 |
Race, Wealth and TaxesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will widen racial disparities in economic well-being, according to the new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), released with Prosperity Now. ITEP’s estimates provide valuable insights into how the recent federal tax changes will worsen the wealth disparity between white families and families of color. |
Author: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy |
Categories: Economics (General), Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/29/2018 |
Analysis of States’ APR CapsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This National Consumer Law Center report examines the annual percentage rate (APR), including both interest and fees, allowed in each state and the District of Columbia for a $10,000 five-year loan. An APR cap is the single most effective step states can implement to deter abusive lending and ensure that families are not caught in a debt trap that’s nearly impossible to escape. |
Author: National Consumer Law Center |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/18/2018 |
California Feudalism & The Middle ClassDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
California Feudalism: The Squeeze on The Middle Class Chapman University, Center for Demographics and Policy First published October 2018 California was built by people with aspirations, many of them lacking cultural polish or elite educations, but ded |
Author: Chapman University |
Categories: Economics (CA), Immigrants, Minorities, Policy, Rural |
Publication Date: 10/14/2018 |
CRA and The Creative EconomyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Upstart Co-Lab has published The Community Reinvestment Act and the Creative Economy: Investing in Creative Places and Businesses as Part of Comprehensive Community Development with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. |
Author: Laura Callanan, Ward Wolff |
Categories: Microbusiness, New Era Workforce, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/06/2018 |
Catalyzing Workplace Financial Coaching ProgramsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The following report presents four nonprofit organizations implementing workplace-based financial coaching models: $tand by Me located in Delaware, Working Credit NFP in Illinois, Neighborhood Trust in New York, and WorkLife Partnership in Colorado. |
Author: Asset Funders Network |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 09/27/2018 |
T.A. Programs Serving Black and Hispanic EntrepreneursDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In conjunction with the Partnership for Lending in Underserved Markets (PLUM), a Milken Institute and U.S. Small Business Administration initiative to develop actionable solutions to long-standing barriers that constrain minority entrepreneurs from accessing capital, the PLUM Los Angeles Technical Assistance Working Group spent considerable time exploring what culturally competent technical assistance looks like and identifying best practices around program design, service delivery, curriculum, and marketing and outreach. |
Author: Milken Institute |
Categories: Business Development Services, Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 09/26/2018 |
Black Women Business StartupsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Black women launch new businesses more often than any other group in the nation. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City went to the source to find out what motivates them to take the leap. Black Women Business Startups, by Dell Gines, a senior community development advisor, offers a research-driven look at black women business owners, their business insights, and ideas for increasing the number, strength, and growth of businesses owned by black women. |
Author: Dell Gines |
Categories: Microbusiness, Minorities, Women |
Publication Date: 09/20/2018 |
Credit Experiences of Minority-Owned FirmsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Given the relationship between a small business’s access to financing and its outcomes, and given the growing share of minorities in the U.S. population, it is important that creditworthy firms and entrepreneurs, irrespective of race or ethnicity, are able to secure adequate financing to achieve growth and success. Data from the Federal Reserve System’s 2016 Small Business Credit Survey allow for a closer examination of the experiences of minority-owned small businesses in applying for and obtaining financing. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Cleveland |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities |
Publication Date: 09/17/2018 |
Small Business Lending in the U.S.Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The growth and survival of U.S. small businesses depend on how depository lending institutions and other financial intermediaries are attending to the credit needs of small firms. The financing and credit needs of small firms vary by business size, type of lender, business owner, and age of the business. Thus, all these components tend to contribute to the challenges small firms face when seeking access to credit. Nonetheless, 99.7 percent of firms with paid employees are small businesses, employing 47.5 percent of the private workforce in 2015 (SBA Advocacy, 2018). These tenacious businesses accounted for roughly 40 percent of U.S. private nonfarm output (Petkov, 2016), and for 63 percent share of net jobs between 2010 and 2016 (SBA Advocacy, 2017). This study predominantly uses public sources of information on U.S. banks to analyze the patterns in small business lending by evaluating aggregate data of depository lending institutions. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 09/10/2018 |
2018 State of Women-Owned BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The State of Women-Owned Businesses reports are used by the women’s enterprise development community — media, funders, entrepreneurial support organizations, elected officials, suppliers and customers and even women themselves–to inform practices, policies and advocacy efforts that encourage successful business outcomes, as well as to inspire and motivate women to start and grow businesses. |
Author: American Express |
Categories: Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 08/31/2018 |
Women Freelancers Make 50% LessDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Research conducted by Website Planet (WSP) recently uncovered that female freelancers are being paid significantly less than men—in some cases half as much—on two of the most highly used and reputable freelance job platforms, Upwork and Fiverr. This is shocking. For women tied to the gig economy and rely on these very same websites to find jobs, this is directly tied to their own personal livelihood. |
Author: Website Planet |
Categories: New Era Workforce, Women |
Publication Date: 08/28/2018 |
Small Business Friendliness SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Since 2012, the Thumbtack Small Business Friendliness Survey has surveyed thousands of entrepreneurs on the state and local public policies that affect their ability to start, operate, and grow a business. It is the largest continuous study of small business perceptions of government policy in the United States. |
Author: Thumbtack |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 08/14/2018 |
Fintech Investigative ReportDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Last year, Congressman Cleaver launched a groundbreaking investigation into the small business lending practices of Financial Technology (FinTech) companies, studying the various methods companies use to protect against discriminatory practices. One of the primary concerns raised by Congressman Cleaver was the specific algorithms used by FinTech firms. While many FinTech firms claim these algorithms protect against discrimination, they have generally provided little evidence into how they are utilized to do so. The questions surrounding the algorithms are particularly troubling because, in some cases, they have the ability to utilize certain information about loan-seekers without their knowledge. Information collected can come from a wide range of sources, including the loan seeker’s Twitter or Facebook profiles, specifically who they follow, and the number of criminal records and/or bankruptcies in the loan seeker’s zip code. Not only is this information unrelated to the purposes of loan-seeking, it can be used to discriminate against certain people, predominantly lower-income borrowers and people of color. The following report includes the detailed findings of Congressman Cleaver’s investigation. |
Author: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 08/10/2018 |
Municipal Policy BlueprintDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This Municipal Blueprint is designed to guide municipal leaders and advocates toward meaningful, manageable and moveable policy solutions for building financial security within communities of color. We include approaches and strategies that complement both city-level advocacy and the tools and concepts described for racial wealth equity advocacy in our Racial Equity Primer. The policies presented here will not solve every problem, but they can lay the first steps along a pathway to prosperity for all city-dwellers. |
Author: Prosperity Now |
Categories: Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 08/09/2018 |
Building Immigrant Financial SecurityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) consulted nonprofit members, partners, and allies, including financial services providers, to develop recommendations for banks on how to better support immigrant clients in the current political climate. |
Author: California Reinvestment Coalition |
Categories: Access to Capital, Immigrants |
Publication Date: 08/06/2018 |
Improving Small Business FinancingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The report starts with background and context on the importance of small businesses to the U.S. economy as well as recent trends in small business health and access to credit. The first section discusses ways to improve the quality and quantity of data available on small business financing. Good data are necessary both to improve credit-application processes and to enable lawmakers and regulators to make better-informed decisions when developing government policy. The second section reviews the financial regulation that impacts access to credit for small businesses and recommends ways to recalibrate regulations to make them more efficient and effective. The third section delves into how to make U.S. capital markets work better for small businesses. The final section sets forth ideas on how policymakers can promote innovation in financial products and services and better integrate technology into financial markets. |
Author: Bipartisan Policy Center |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Policy |
Publication Date: 08/06/2018 |
The State of Independence 2018Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The MBO Partners State of Independence report, the industry’s longest running comprehensive study of the American independent workforce, serves as a State of the Union for a dynamic movement. In 2018, the 8th annual report finds that the state of the independent workforce is strong, evolving, and multi-faceted. |
Author: Emergent Research, MBO Partners |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, New Era Workforce |
Publication Date: 07/11/2018 |
Small Business Perspectives on Online LendersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report discusses findings of a study conducted by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland to gauge small business owners’ perceptions of online lenders and their understanding and interpretation of information online lenders use to describe their credit products. The Federal Reserve has an ongoing interest in small businesses and their access to the credit they need to succeed and grow. As the small business credit market evolves, prompting discussion about borrower protections, the perspectives of small business owners are an important consideration. |
Author: Federal Reserve Board |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 06/10/2018 |
The Real Cost Measure in California 2018Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The United Ways of California released “Struggling to Stay Afloat: The Real Cost Measure in California 2018,” a new statewide report on financial challenges for working families. |
Author: Betsy Baum Block, Henry Gascon, Peter Manzo, Adam D. Parker, United Ways of California |
Categories: Economics (CA) |
Publication Date: 06/07/2018 |
Advancing Minority Small Business Capital AccessDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Through the Milken Institute and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Partnership for Lending in Underserved Markets (PLUM) initiative, we are learning how to improve collaborative efforts in a given market and around specific capital access solutions. There have been many across-the-board lessons learned through our local pilot programs and national work to date. Some speak to approaches to partnership and coalition-building while others are reflections and recommendations for existing capital and technical service providers. |
Author: Carolyn Karo Schulman |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 05/30/2018 |
The Business Case for Racial EquityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report makes a compelling economic argument for the social justice imperative of racial equity. Beyond an increase in economic output, advancing racial equity can translate into meaningful increases in consumer spending and tax revenues, and decreases in social services spending and health-related costs. For example, in consumer spending alone, closing the racial equity gap in Michigan would generate an additional $1.5 billion in spending on food, $4 billion on housing, $423 million on apparel, $2 billion on automobiles and transportation, and $625 million on entertainment each year. An additional $1.5 billion would be generated in state and local tax revenues. |
Author: Ani Turner, Beth Beaudin-Seiler, Altarum Institute, W.K. Kellogg Foundation |
Categories: Economics (General), Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 05/29/2018 |
2017 Employer Firms Credit SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Federal Reserve released “2017 Small Business Credit Survey: Report on Employer Firms.” Learn more about how small business owners nationwide are faring, including their credit needs and challenges. The report examines the results of an annual survey of small business owners nationwide and focuses on small employer firms, businesses with 1-499 full- or part-time employees. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 05/22/2018 |
Why Do Businesses Close?Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
Over the last 25 years, about 7–9 percent of employer firms close every year and a slightly higher share open. These figures have been trending down, illustrating a decline in business turnover. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 05/10/2018 |
Access to Markets for Women EntrepreneursDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The goal of this report is to support the council in establishing a knowledge base about women business owners’, leaders’, and entrepreneurs’ access to markets for goods and services. This report represents a high-level situational analysis, exploring major issues and developments affecting women entrepreneurs to inform the NWBC’s framework for defining research priorities and engagement efforts. |
Author: Library of Congress, National Women's Business Council |
Categories: Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 05/10/2018 |
Implication of the Tax Bill for Small BusinessesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Businesses for Responsible Tax Reform released “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; Implications for Small Businesses” that argues that the new tax laws put small businesses at a disadvantage to large businesses. |
Author: Businesses for Responsible Tax Reform |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 05/01/2018 |
California Small Business ProfileDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Small Business Profiles are an annual portrait of each state’s small businesses. They gather the latest federal data into state-by-state snapshots of small business health and economic activity. Limited economic data is also provided for the U.S. territories. |
Author: SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Economics (CA), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 04/25/2018 |
Building Inclusive EcosystemsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report examines opportunities to further enhance inclusion and support of current and future women founders in Washington, D.C.’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Its analysis provides an overview of women-owned businesses both nationally and in Washington, D.C., makes four top-level recommendations with pragmatic strategies for implementation, and highlights existing approaches to inclusive development. |
Author: BEACON |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 04/18/2018 |
2017 Disaster-Affected Firms Credit SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Federal Reserve Banks of San Francisco, New York, Dallas, and Richmond issued the 2017 Small Business Credit Survey: Report on Disaster-Affected Firms. This is the first in a series of reports this year examining the results of an annual survey of small business owners. 61 percent of affected firms had revenue losses ranging from $1-$25,000, and 35 percent had revenue losses over $25,000. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks of New York, Dallas, Richmond, San Francisco |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 04/17/2018 |
Impact Study of Small Business LendingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Accion in the U.S. and Opportunity Fund recently released a groundbreaking report that examines the impact of mission-based small business lending services on borrowers’ businesses, their household financial security, and their overall quality of life. |
Author: Harder+Company Community Research, Accion, Opportunity Fund |
Categories: Business Development Services, Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 04/03/2018 |
Supporting Returning Citizen EntrepreneursDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Credit Builders Alliance released Achieving Credit Strength: A Toolkit for Supporting Returning Citizen Entrepreneurs. This toolkit provides financial capability and reentry practitioners with tools and resources for helping returning citizens to build strong credit, and strong businesses. In conjunction with the release of this toolkit, CBA is hosting convenings in partnership with community leaders that are experts in this space. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with the toolkit and national experts discussing credit building, entrepreneurship and ways to support the financial stability of returning citizens pre- and post-incarceration. See below for more details on each convening. |
Author: Credit Builders Alliance |
Categories: Access to Capital, Business Development Services, Capacity Building, Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 04/02/2018 |
How Microlenders Price For GrowthDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Aspen’s FIELD program released a new report, “The Price of Access: How Scale-Focused Microlenders Are Pricing for Growth.” The report explores how microfinance institutions are pricing their smallest loans at higher interest rates in order to expand their reach. The resulting revenue allows them to meet the needs of more underserved entrepreneurs. |
Author: Joyce Klein, Alan Okagaki, FIELD at the Aspen Insittute |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 04/02/2018 |
One Year of Equity CrowdfundingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
On May 16, 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s new investment crowdfunding rule, Regulation Crowdfunding (Regulation CF), went into effect, marking an important step in the federal government embracing financial technology (FinTech) to increase access to capital for small businesses. Regulation Crowdfunding enabled small businesses to raise up to $1,000,000 annually by offering and selling securities through internet-based crowdfunding campaigns. This issue brief analyzes all crowdfunding filings made pursuant to Regulation CF during the first year of activity (May 16, 2016 – May 16, 2017). It highlights key attributes of the firms that have attempted to raise capital through this financing method, including firm location, legal structure, age, employment, and gender. This analysis also describes trends among the online intermediaries responsible for hosting the campaigns as well as transactional characteristics, such as the type of securities offered and the amount of capital sought and raised. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy implications for small businesses seeking capital through crowdfunding and other innovative financing methods. |
Author: Lindsay M. Abate, SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Policy |
Publication Date: 03/29/2018 |
Baby Boomer Small Business OwnersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Thumbtack surveyed more than 14,000 small business owners 55 and older across the United States, to evaluate the business friendliness of their local governments, what motivated them to start their own small business and how their experience impacts their business success. |
Author: Thumbtack |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 03/28/2018 |
Firms’ Response to Hiring DifficultiesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Understanding the sources of mismatch between the labor pool and the needs of firms is important. There can be significant variation in hiring challenges by type of firm, and how a firm responds may depend systematically on the nature of the problem. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank’s 2017 Small Business Credit Survey allows for a closer examination of hiring difficulties and firm responses. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta |
Categories: Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 03/22/2018 |
The Racial Wealth Divide And Economic SecurityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In August 2016, Prosperity Now, in collaboration with the Institute for Policy Studies, published The EverGrowing Gap: Without Change, African American and Latino Families Won’t Match White Wealth for Centuries. In the report, we examined data from the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances over a 30-year period (1983-2013) to understand the scope of the racial wealth divide facing Black and Latino households and to project the future of racial wealth inequality. In exploring wealth inequality facing these communities, we looked at average rather than median economic data. |
Author: Prosperity Now |
Categories: Economics (General), Minorities |
Publication Date: 03/22/2018 |
Crowdfunding for Women Entrepreneurs: KivaDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This research seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the successful crowdfunding on Kiva, a non-profit lending crowdfunding platform based in the U.S. It investigates whether a larger social network will increase the likelihood of women’s success on Kiva in comparison to their male counterparts. To this end, using a novel dataset received from Kiva for the period between 2011 and 2017, a series of multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted. These analyses were coupled by iv comprehensive descriptive analysis to better distill and describe the gender dynamics, as well as the relationship between women’s success and crowdfunding variables on Kiva. |
Author: National Women's Business Council |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 03/21/2018 |
Crowdfunding for Women Entrepreneurs: KickstarterDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The study attempts to investigate, from a gender perspective, the role of a project creator’s online social network in contributing to the success of fundraising campaigns in reward-based crowdfunding. It also tries to provide a deeper insight into successful crowdfunding dynamics. Using a novel dataset received from Kickstarter (i.e. the largest reward crowdfunding platform in the U.S.) for the period between 2009 (its inception) and 2017, a series of logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted. These analyses were combined with comprehensive descriptive analysis and extensive visuals to better illustrate and explain the gender dynamics, as well as the relationship between women’s success and crowdfunding variables on Kickstarter. |
Author: National Women's Business Council |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 03/21/2018 |
Consumer Debt: A PrimerDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
EPIC’s particular focus is on non-mortgage consumer debt, such as loans to pay for college or to purchase a vehicle, money borrowed on credit cards, and non-loan debt (i.e. municipal fines and fees, medical debt, and unpaid bills). Non-mortgage debt has not received the extensive attention given to housing borrowing, largely because of the size of the mortgage market. However, housing debt is declining as a share of household debt and current causes for concern—such as rising rate of serious delinquency in credit cards and the emergence of subprime auto loans—relate to other areas of the market. This primer distills the research on consumer debt, from its drivers and its dimensions to its impacts on households and society as a whole. EPIC will use this critical knowledge base to articulate a framework for developing solutions to improve the financial lives of millions of Americans. |
Author: The Aspen Institute |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 03/20/2018 |
H.R. 5050 and Women Business OwnersDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
NAWBO released a white paper – “Spotlight on H.R. 5050: The Bill that Changed Everything for Women Business Owners”. The paper reflects on the provisions that transformed the course for women business owners and highlights the current areas for improved policy and better women involvement. |
Author: NAWBO |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 03/02/2018 |
Access to Capital for Women EntrepreneursDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The goal of this report is to support the council in establishing a knowledge base about women business owners’, leaders’, and entrepreneurs’ access to capital. This report represents a high-level situational analysis, exploring major issues and developments affecting women entrepreneurs to inform the NWBC’s framework for defining research priorities and engagement efforts. |
Author: Library of Congress, National Women's Business Council |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 03/01/2018 |
Tax Law Won’t Help Small Businesses GrowDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
A scientific opinion poll performed in four Senate battleground states and with a +10 Republican sample (41% R, 31%D), significantly higher than the national average, shows the majority of small business owners will not be able to hire new employees or give raises because of the new tax law. When asked if they would hire a new employee as a result of the new tax law, 69% of the plurality Republican sample said they would not, while only 25% said they would. When asked if they will be giving their employees raises due to the new tax law, 59% said no, while 31% responded that they would. |
Author: Businesses for Responsible Tax Reform |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 03/01/2018 |
Financing Patterns by Race and EthnicityDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The SBA issued “Financing Patterns and Credit Market Experiences: A Comparison by Race and Ethnicity for U.S. Employer Firms“. Hispanic and Black Americans are underrepresented in business ownership compared with their shares of the general population. Asians (73 percent) Hispanics (72 percent) and Blacks or African Americans (70 percent) rely on owner’s personal or family savings as a source of startup capital, while 65 percent of Whites relying on this source. |
Author: Alicia Robb, SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (General), Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 02/01/2018 |
Economic Impact of Immigration By StateDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
In light of recent developments in U.S. immigration policy, WalletHub compared the economic impact of foreign-born populations on the 50 states and the District of Columbia. We determined which states benefit the most — and least — from immigration using 19 key indicators. Our dataset ranges from median household income of foreign-born population to jobs generated by immigrant-owned businesses as a share of total jobs. |
Author: WalletHub |
Categories: Economics (CA), Economics (General), Immigrants |
Publication Date: 01/30/2018 |
Latino Business OwnershipDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
An important contributor to economic inequality in the United States is the large and persistent racial and ethnic disparity found in business ownership and performance. Blocked opportunities for minorities to start and grow businesses create losses in economic efficiency, especially through their effects on limiting job creation, wealth accumulation, innovation, and local economic growth. This report provides several new findings on Latino business ownership and success using the latest available Census Bureau data. Latinos are separated by U.S.-born vs. immigrant status to provide insights into the constraints faced in starting and running successful businesses. |
Author: Robert W. Fairlie, SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Immigrants, Microbusiness, Minorities |
Publication Date: 01/26/2018 |
Amazon’s Small Business ImpactDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Amazon released its first-ever Small Business Impact Report which found more than 1 million U.S.-based small and medium-sized businesses are selling on Amazon. That report needs to be digested along with the loss of local tax revenue and what happens to Main Street that was reported in Amazon and Empty Storefronts: The Fiscal and Land Use Impacts of Online Retail. |
Author: Amazon |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 01/03/2018 |
2016 Rural Firms Credit SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The physical location of rural small employer firms in less densely populated areas presents an economic, demographic and cultural context that is distinct from the one in which urban small employer firms operate. This Report on Rural Employer Firms compares the business and financing conditions of small employer firms located in rural areas to those located in urban areas. This report is part of a series of reports that use data from the 2016 Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS), a national data-collection effort by the twelve Federal Reserve Banks. All differences between urban and rural small employer firms highlighted in this report are statistically significant based on credibility intervals. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 12/22/2017 |
2017 UN Report on Poverty & Human Rights in the USDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
I have spent the past two weeks visiting the United States, at the invitation of the federal government, to look at whether the persistence of extreme poverty in America undermines the enjoyment of human rights by its citizens. In my travels through California, Alabama, Georgia, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Washington DC I have spoken with dozens of experts and civil society groups, met with senior state and federal government officials and talked with many people who are homeless or living in deep poverty. I am grateful to the Trump Administration for facilitating my visit and for its continuing cooperation with the UN Human Rights Council’s accountability mechanisms that apply to all states. |
Author: Philip Alston |
Categories: Economics (General) |
Publication Date: 12/15/2017 |
CDFIs & Impact InvestingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Many urban and rural communities throughout the country lack the capital and resources necessary to create opportunity and promote growth. The community development financial institution (“CDFI”) industry has focused on filling this gap by investing extensively in these communities to improve their economies, physical environment and the financial well-being of residents. In many ways, CDFIs have been pioneers of promoting progress by investing for social impact. |
Author: LISC |
Categories: Access to Capital |
Publication Date: 12/11/2017 |
What Women Entrepreneurs Need to ThriveDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, released a report titled: “Tackling the Gender Gap: What Women Entrepreneurs Need to Thrive.” This timely study draws on interviews with 14 female entrepreneurs, who detail the obstacles they faced and how they overcame them, to highlight current initiatives and provide recommendations to eliminate the unique barriers confronting women-owned small businesses. |
Author: Senator Jeanne Shaheen |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 12/01/2017 |
2016 Microbusinesses Credit SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report is one in a series based on the findings of the 2016 Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS), a national collaboration of the Community Development Offices of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. As a supplement to the Report on Employer Firms released in April 2017, this Report on Microbusinesses details findings on the financing experiences and outcomes of the smallest firms in the United States, including the self-employed. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 11/29/2017 |
2016 Women-Owned Firms Credit SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report uses a unique dataset to examine the experiences of women-owned small employer firms, especially as compared to their men-owned peers. Small employer firms have traditionally played an important role in U.S. job creation,8 and women-owned firms are an emerging share of the sector. Understanding the opportunities and challenges facing this growing segment of women-owned employers can provide insight into future economic contributions of the sector overall. |
Author: Federal Reserve Banks |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 11/13/2017 |
Peer Learning Community ProgramsDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
For the past decade, Catherine Marshall has helped foundations, collaboratives, and associations design and launch their own Peer Learning Community Programs tailored to their constituents. This document is her effort to share what she learned works, and doesn’t work, with this method and to provide a practical program model as a place to start. |
Author: Catherine Marshall |
Categories: Business Development Services, Capacity Building |
Publication Date: 11/10/2017 |
2016 Minority-Owned Firms Credit SurveyDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report is the third in a series of reports based on the 2016 Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS), a national collaboration of the Community Development Offices of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. As a key financial regulator and economic policymaker, the Federal Reserve System plays an important role in ensuring fair access to credit and promoting economic growth for the well-being of all Americans. Small businesses are an important component of economic success and strong communities; they are responsible for 48% of private sector employees nationwide, are important drivers of local and regional economic growth, and are an important source of household wealth. A healthy small business environment depends on an array of factors, not least of which is the ability to access funds for starting up, scaling up, or maintaining operations. However, as a growing number of studies document, access to funds—whether debt, equity, or personal resources— can vary across race and ethnicity even when business owners are similar in other respects such as business performance and credit risk. |
Author: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending |
Publication Date: 11/09/2017 |
Disparities in Small Business LendingDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
A study examining disparities in small business lending conducted by the Woodstock Institute found that Fresno minority businesses are losing out in capital and turning to merchant cash advances. (Yikes!) Access Capital, a CAMEO member, is trying to refinance some of those loans. |
Author: Woodstock Institute |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities |
Publication Date: 11/02/2017 |
Veteran Women & BusinessDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
This report develops a profile of the veteran women business owner through the presentation of business and business owner characteristics from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007 and 2012 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons and 2015 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs. It is not meant to be all inclusive but, rather, to highlight the current landscape of veteran women-owned firms based off of publicly available data. |
Author: Dolores Rowen, National Women's Business Council |
Categories: Microbusiness, Veterans, Women |
Publication Date: 11/01/2017 |
Small Business Owners Want Fair TaxesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The poll, conducted for Small Business Majority by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, found small business owners are generally optimistic about economic conditions for small businesses and want tax reform that levels the playing field for their small business. The poll was an online survey of 500 small business owners conducted between September 29 and October 4, 2017. |
Author: Small Business Majority |
Categories: Microbusiness, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/26/2017 |
Freelancing in America: 2017Download ReportSneak PeakDescription
The fourth annual Freelancing in America study shows what many freelancers know intuitively: The freelance workforce is growing rapidly and adapting quickly in a fast-changing economy. The Freelancers Union projects that independent workers will be a majority of the U.S. workforce in just a decade. |
Author: Freelancers Union, Upwork |
Categories: New Era Workforce, Policy |
Publication Date: 10/02/2017 |
Necessity & Women’s EntrepreneurshipDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) released “Necessity as a Driver of Women’s Entrepreneurship” this week. The report examines whether and how women turn to entrepreneurship to address potential market failures that limit their ability to attain or maintain economic self-sufficiency, or as an avenue to overcome flexibility bias and potential stigma in balancing work-life conflict assumed in traditional gendered roles and social norms. |
Author: National Women's Business Council |
Categories: Economics (General), Microbusiness, Women |
Publication Date: 10/02/2017 |
Small Business Job CreationDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The Office of Advocacy’s fact sheet, “Small Business Job Creation Deconstructed,” shows that small businesses’ role as job creators since the Great Recession is as strong as ever. Since the end of the Great Recession, small businesses (fewer than 500 employees) have created 62 percent (8.3 million) of the net new private-sector jobs (13.4 million), matching their historic rate over the last 25 years. |
Author: Brian Headd, SBA Office of Advocacy |
Categories: Microbusiness |
Publication Date: 09/30/2017 |
The Retreat of the Rural EntrepreneurDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The SBA issued The Retreat of the Rural Entrepreneur. In 1988, more than a fourth of the self-employed lived in rural areas. By 2016, that share had fallen to less than 1 in 6 as the US population shifted away from rural areas and the rural rate of self-employment fell. In fact, between 1988 and 2016, the rural rate of self-employment fell by over 20 percent. Despite that decline, the rate of self-employment has remained higher in rural areas than in urban and suburban areas. |
Author: Daniel Wilmoth, SBA |
Categories: Microbusiness, Rural |
Publication Date: 09/29/2017 |
Developing Solutions to Minority Financing ChallengesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Starting a new firm or growing an established business requires capital, but Black and Hispanic businesses are reported to have higher barriers to capital access. The challenges are well documented and many solutions have been proposed, but to achieve change, we need to move ideas into action. The federal government actually has a lot of programs that can help. Between the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Community Advantage Loan Program, Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund), Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), and the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization(OSDBU), there is potential to mobilize resources that drive job creation and economic growth, especially in minority communities throughout the country. We need to leverage these resources, as well as develop and execute new solutions. |
Author: Carolyn Karo, Jackson Mueller |
Categories: Access to Capital, Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 09/26/2017 |
Hispanic Women EntrepreneurshipDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Hispanic Women Entrepreneurship: Understanding Diversity Among Hispanic Women Entrepreneurs identifies the unique characteristics of Hispanic women entrepreneurs, reviews entrepreneurship training practices that work to encourage successful business, highlights specific programs that exemplify these practices, and suggests targeted tactics to unlock their entrepreneurial potential. |
Author: Susana Martinez-Restrepo, CoreWoman, Geri Stengel, Ventureneer |
Categories: Business Development Services, Microbusiness, Minorities, Women |
Publication Date: 09/15/2017 |
Small Business Owners Struggle For CreditDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
The California Reinvestment Coalition released Small Business Owners Struggle to Access Affordable Credit, a new report focused on the challenges small business owners and entrepreneurs face when trying to get a loan to start, maintain, or grow their businesses. |
Author: California Reinvestment Coalition |
Categories: Access to Capital, Economics (CA), Microbusiness, Microlending, Minorities, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 09/04/2017 |
The Racial Wealth DivideDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Prosperity Now and the Institute for Policy Studies look at the racial wealth divide at the median over the next four and eight years in The Road to Zero Wealth. They find that if you examine median wealth trends over the past three decades, the racial wealth divide will only continue to grow—into perpetuity—and it will do so at an accelerated rate. |
Author: Prosperity Now, Institute for Policy Studies |
Categories: Economics (General), Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 09/01/2017 |
Equity Profile of Los AngelesDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Equity Profiles project by PolicyLink recently produced a report for San Francisco, the Bay Area and Los Angeles County. Each profile presents demographic trends and assess how well regions are doing to ensure its diverse residents can participate in the region’s economic vitality, contribute to the readiness of the workforce, and connect to the region’s assets and opportunities. |
Author: PolicyLink, PERE |
Categories: Capacity Building, Economics (CA), Economics (General), Immigrants, Minorities, Policy, Women |
Publication Date: 08/17/2017 |
Equity in the Nine-County San Francisco Bay AreaDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription
Equity Profiles project by PolicyLink recently produced a report for San Francisco, the Bay Area and Los Angeles County. Each profile presents demographic trends and assess how well regions are doing to ensure its diverse residents can participate in the region’s economic vitality, contribute to the readiness of the workforce, and connect to the region’s assets and opportunities. |
Author: PolicyLink, PERE |
Categories: Capacity Building, Economics (CA), Microbusiness, Minorities, Policy |
Publication Date: 08/17/2017 |
Equity in the Five-County San Francisco Bay AreaDownload ReportSneak PeakDescription Equity Profiles project by PolicyLink recently produced a report for San Francisco, the Bay Area and Los Angeles County. Each profile presents demographic trends and assess how well regions are doing to ensure its diverse residents can participate in the region’s economic vitality, contribute to the readiness of the workforce, a |