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Speaking Out

Dear Friend,

  • Speaking Out: Testifying, CAMEO Annual Survey, Vote for CAMEO
  • The Goodies: information on important opportunities like trainings, funding, scholarship programs. Today’s highlight is that PRIME grants applications are due on July 23, 2011.

Speaking Out: Testifying, CAMEO Annual Survey, Vote for CAMEO and

We are doing everything we can to get the word out about Micro Enterprise. We’re reaching out to editorial boards, we are submitting op-eds and letters to the editors, we are submitting proposals.
Last week Claudia Viek and Shufina English testified at a Public Utilities Commission hearing on the benefits of AT&T’s grant to our Disabled Vet Program and how it helps micro-business owners. You get the picture. The more people hear about Micro Enterprise, the better off our field.

CAMEO Annual Survey: It’s up to all of us to ensure that everyone knows about the good work we are doing so that we can keep on doing it and do it at a much larger scale. So if you lead an organization, please complete the CAMEO Annual Survey. (If you don’t head an organization, forward this request to the right person. Thanks!) While you’re at it, fill out the 2011 U.S. Microenterprise Census.

Also, Small Business Trends is sponsoring the Small Business Influencer initiative, which honors contributors who have made a significant impact on the North American small business market. CAMEO is nominated in two categories. Vote for CAMEO in the organization/corporate category and vote for Claudia in the leader category! If CAMEO wins, Micro Enterprise in California wins. You can vote every 24 hours for as many nominees as you like. But you can only vote for the SAME nominee once in any given 24-hour period. So bookmark the link!

The Goodies - trainings, conference information, funding, scholarships, etc.

Grant Opportunity: The Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued Program Announcement No. PRIME-2011-01 to provide training and capacity building grant programs to microenterprise development organizations (MDOs). PRIME grants applications are due in ten days on July 23, 2011. The SBA expects to issue approximately $8,000,000 of awards under this Announcement. SBA anticipates making 90 awards in the range of $50,000 to $250,000. Note that a good chunk of this money will support the multi-year funding of organizations from past two years, so there may be roughly half in new awards.

Comment on CDFI Bond Guarantee Program: The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) is soliciting comments regarding the design, implementation and administration of the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program. The CDFI Fund is particularly interested in comments in the following areas: definitions of statutory terms and program parameters, eligible use of funds, eligible entities and required qualifications, underwriting criteria and guarantee provisions, accountability and compliance measures. Comments and questions should be sent to Martin Feeney. Comments are due August 1, 2011.

For your clients: AEO is collecting stories of your clients’ businesses and their impact on their community to show the power of Micro. Clients will be highlighted on the AEO website and in our annual AEO500 report and be able to connect and collaborate with other businesses.

For your clients: The Wall Street Journal is hosting a competition for U.S. small business who took a hit when the economy nosedived – but found a creative way to survive and thrive.

For your clients: Small Business Trends has a list of contests and awards available to small businesses.

CAMEO Resources: CAMEO has a Facebook page. Please ‘like’ us! Suggest us to your friends. Post comments on the links. On our website, you can access the resources distributed and discussed at the annual meeting and share with your colleagues!