New Address: Two Embarcadero Center, 8th floor, San Francisco, CA 94111     

SBA Approps; Learn and Participate with Us

  • Progress in DC with SBA
  • CAMEO Committees: Participate, Enhance Your Professional Development and Bring Resources to Your Org
  • The Goodies – This week’s highlight includes grants, grants and grants. Scroll down for information on RMAP, PRIME and a new WBC RFP.
  • If you haven’t already, fill out the microTracker census with your 2013 impacts. Email Andrew with any questions. We will be closing the survey at the end of July.

Progress in DC with SBA

This week, the House of Representatives marked-up the appropriations bill that funds the SBA and CDFI Fund. The PRIME program was not only saved, but we convinced the committee of its importance and it increase fundings to $5 million (currently at $3.5M)! WBCs, SBDCs and the CDFI Fund also had an increase. Next step is the full House (likely to adopt) and then is slated to go to the Senate in mid-July. Our advocacy is finally paying off.

  • PRIME: $5 Million (42% increase!)
  • Microloan Lending: $25 Million (no change)
  • Microloan TA: $20 Million (no change)
  • Women’s Business Centers: $15 Million (7% increase)
  • Boots2Business: $7.5 Million (7% increase)
  • VBOCs: $2.5 Million (no change)
  • CDFI Fund: $230 Million (2% increase)
  • SBDCs: $115 Million (2% increase)

Participate in a CAMEO Committee

CAMEO has many ways to participate and collaborate with your colleagues: SoCal Veterans Entrepreneurship Alliance, microlending peer calls, policy committee, communications committee, and dealing with disruption working group. Participation in these groups will enhance your professional development and bring resources and opportunities to your organization.

The SoCal Veterans Entrepreneurship Alliance is a group that will help members in LA, Orange, and San Diego counties reach and serve veterans, and promote funding for this mission. If you are interested in learning more and participating, email Shufina English.

The microlending peer learning cohort will provide a forum in which you will work with colleagues to strengthen your microloan program and share your insights and innovations. If you have a topic that you’d like to explore and are interested in participating in quarterly/bi-monthly calls, email Susan Brown.

The Policy Committee meets approximately quarterly to ensure that CAMEO’s policy activities are aligned with the needs of our members. If you would like join the policy committee, send me a short paragraph on why you are interested.

The newly formed Communications Committee is open to anyone who wants to up their communications game. We will check out what’s working, solve your communications challenges, and illuminate new opportunities. I’ve scheduled a call on July 9 at 2:00pm. Please RSVP to receive the call in information.

During the afternoon of our annual meeting and 20th Anniversary Celebration, we talked about disruptive changes in the sector. What is keeping you up at night? What does tomorrow hold for us? How should the sector respond? What can we do to be one step ahead of the curve? Catherine Marshall wisely suggested that we convene a working group to brainstorm ideas. The first step in that process is to assess who is interested and get feedback on what other partners should be at the table so we can come up with new ideas to propel our sector forward. Please email me with your response.

The Goodies

New opportunities for training, conference information, funding, scholarships, and other information that have crossed our desks since the last Must Know. I have posted a running tab of current Industry Goodies on the CAMEO website that lists items that were in past emails. Check it out to make sure you’re not missing anything, like grants whose deadlines are still alive!

Grant Opportunities

Grant Opportunity: The USDA has announced the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. Funding is now available for organizations who loan to small rural businesses. Notice of funding availability here, and more info here. The application deadline is June 30, 2014.

Grant Opportunity: The SBA announced the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME) Grant RFP. Applications are due July 14, 2014. Friedman and Associates are available to request a consultation for PRIME application support, which includes full proposal development or project design, review and refinement of drafts. To request a consultation.

Grant Opportunity: The SBA has issue an RFP for new Women’s Business Centers. California is one of 11 states that can apply. The deadline is July 30, 2014.

More Good Stuff

Annual Meeting Recap: To see the full agenda and access resources (including presentations), check out the 20th Anniversary Recap on our website and be sure to check out the lovely photos of our lunch!

For Your Clients: Six million young Americans are both out of school and out of work – a staggering number that contributes to weak economic demand. At the same time, small business leaders are struggling to fill job vacancies that are critical to both individual company success and overall economic growth. Small Business Majority has identified some best practices that will help address this problem while also benefitting small employers. Have your clients pledge to help youth employment and check out our best practices.

Healthcare Webinars: The Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority are committed to helping businesses navigate the changes and opportunities in health care through the webinar series What the Healthcare Law Means For Your California Small Business . It’s every two weeks in English and monthly in Spanish. The next ones are on July 2, 2014 at 10:00am and July 8, 2014 at 1:00pm respectively. Note the Small Business Health Option Program’s online enrollment function is on hold and will be back online in the fall. Businesses can still purchase insurance through the traditional paper process, working with your Certified agent or the SHOP Service Center. A recent survey by Transamerica Center for Health Studies revealed six in 10 small businesses are aware of SHOP, but only 56 percent of them feel very informed about their company’s options for health insurance. Check out this new online guide of small business health plan options and costs through SHOP.

Women Business Leader Conference: Women business owners from across the country will be gathering in Washington, D.C. to grow their businesses, enhance their leadership skills and advocate on key issues impacting the women entrepreneurship community. Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)’s Annual Leadership Meeting is on July 23-24, promising an opportunity to network and cultivate business opportunities with women business owners as well as interact with policymakers to discuss the challenges you are facing in your industry.

Professional Development Scholarship: Through the Diane Lupke Scholarship Fund, IEDC is proud to award four scholarships to economic development professionals (two IEDC members and two nonmembers) working in distressed communities to attend an IEDC education course of the recipient’s choice. Submit all materials by Friday, July 25, 2014 to be eligible for consideration.

Scholarship Opportunity: Do you have an idea, product or service that helps microbusiness owners address their financial challenges? CFED is collecting those ideas. Up to 10 standout submissions will be selected, recognized, and offered a free trip to Washington, DC from September 17-19, 2014 to take part in a special design thinking intensive at CFED’s Assets Learning Conference. Deadline for submission is July 25, 2014.

Microlending Capacity Building Opportunity: OFN and Goldman Sachs have committed to helping small business lenders grow to better serve small businesses by launching the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Financing Initiative. OFN is hosting a free workshop on August 5-6, 2014 in Los Angeles designed to help small business lenders identify and pursue growth opportunities.

CAMEO White Paper: Download Do-It-Yourself Economic Growth: How Communities Can Cultivate Their Talent and Thrive. Read it. Use it as a resource. Share it. The Do-It-Yourself Economy is built on a foundation of small, locally-owned, diverse businesses. CAMEO’s white paper focuses on why we need a new approach to economic development, explains the reality of small business and self-employment labor market trends, and delineates some of the tools that local economic developers can use to create a sustainable future for their regions.