SBA Reconvenes the Council on Underserved Communities
The SBA is reconvening the Council on Underserved Communities under the authority of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. In conjunction with the Biden-Harris Administration?s agenda, the restoration of the Council will help support the SBA?s prioritization of equity across its programs and initiatives. The Council will consist of 20 diverse stakeholders from every region of the country tasked with advising the SBA on strengthening and improving its strategies to help underserved communities.
The Council on Underserved Communities was established to focus on communities and populations that have traditionally faced barriers in accessing credit, capital and other resources necessary to start and grow businesses. The CUC's mission is to collectively provide SBA with input, advice, and recommendations on strategies to improve and strengthen equity among women, veterans, minority-owned businesses and/or businesses from low-to-moderate income or rural communities.
The SBA is currently soliciting nominations from the public. The deadline to submit nominations is July 20, 2021.
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Hear from SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman at the Finance and Equity online event on July 22 at 12:00 p.m. ET. She'll discuss advancing a more equitable lending ecosystem for small businesses. This event is co-hosted by AARP and Reimagine Main Street in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
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The 2021 National SBIR Week is a free virtual event that connects entrepreneurs working on advanced technologies to the country?s largest source of early stage funding ? the SBIR/STTR programs. Also known as America?s Seed Fund, the SBIR/STTR programs provide over $4 billion in funding to small businesses each year in a wide variety of technology areas administering over 7,000 new awards annually.
If you?re an innovator, entrepreneur, researcher, or small technology firm, don?t miss this opportunity to participate in live streaming sessions and to meet virtually with program decision makers.
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Showing some love for the City of Brotherly Love! This week,?Administrator Guzman visited Philadelphia to meet inspiring small business owners who were able to pivot, recover, and grow with help from SBA programs and resources. Watch a video of the visit and follow the Administrator on Instagram to see photos and videos of all her visits to small businesses across America.?
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The SBA and Public Private Strategies Institute are hosting several webinars from July to August to help you get your business back on track. Join us for our next webinar on July 22, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. EDT to:
- Hear about what steps you can take now to learn and take advantage of new and existing programs that are available at the SBA
- Get an update regarding programs and recent policy announcements made by the Biden-Harris Administration
- Have your questions answered by SBA Leadership and small business experts
- Learn how you can become a vaccine leader in your community
- Discover tools and resources you can use to take your business digital
The webinars in this series are open to any small business owner and leader. They are divided geographically by SBA regions and feature guest speakers from the corresponding areas. However, the majority of the information pertains to a national audience, so you may register for a webinar outside your location.
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In case you missed it! Earlier this week, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman shared how the SBA is helping small businesses across the country recover from the pandemic during the 2021 National Association of Counties Annual Conference.
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Attention community organizations! Consider applying for SBA's Community Navigator Pilot Program. You can play a role in connecting underserved small businesses with resources they need to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic.?The deadline to apply has been extended from to July 23, 2021.
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Interested in government contracting??There are many opportunities available in the federal procurement market. Developing a marketing and sales strategy can help you achieve success.?Join the?General Services Administration for a webinar on July 20 at 2:00 p.m. EDT to learn how to develop a targeted approach to contracting with the federal government.?
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Attention: Women in business! Register for upcoming webinars to learn how to get certified for the Women-Owned Small Business federal contracting program, what to do after you're certified and more. The webinars will be held from July-December 2021.
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Did you know? Eligible businesses that allow employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine can receive a tax credit. Partner with a vaccine provider to host an on-site vaccination clinic.
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The SBA is currently accepting applications for the?Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. To submit an application, visit sba.gov/svogrant.
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If you own a small business in the construction or service industry, there's a good chance you'll need a surety bond. SBA-backed surety bonds can help you compete for larger contracts.
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Get Inspired: Small Business Success Story
Even after nearly 100 years of dairy farming on the northern California coastline, the Giacomini family is keeping up with a constantly evolving marketplace. Diana Hagan, Lynn Stray, and Jill Basch, now the owners of?Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, are carrying on their proud family tradition of producing environmentally sustainable artisanal cheeses.
As demand grew through the years, they set the business on a direction, using an SBA-backed 504 Certified Development Company loan to finance a new 20,000-square-foot space.?
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As a reminder,?SBA directly communicates from email addresses ending in @sba.gov. SBA also communicates via email updates/notifications using an email marketing platform, (the same one you are receiving this newsletter from). Those emails end in @updates.sba.gov.
If you applied for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant and emailed the SVOG Support Center, you may receive an email back from a zendesk.com account. This is an authorized SBA contractor.
If you are being contacted by someone claiming to be from the SBA who is not using an official SBA email address, you should suspect fraud.?To report potential fraud, visit sba.gov/covidfraudalert.
Small Business Tax Credit Programs
Did you know that the?American Rescue Plan extends a number of critical tax benefits, particularly the Employee Retention Credit and Paid Leave Credit, to small businesses?
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Federal Coronavirus Resources
State, local, and federal agencies are working together to maintain the safety, security, and health of the American people. Check out coronavirus.gov for updates.?Go to cdc.gov for detailed information about COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Visit?covid-sb.org, the official federal resource website for U.S. small businesses affected by COVID-19.
Learn more about the federal government's response
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Virtual Mentoring and Training?
SCORE, Small Business Development Centers,?Women?s Business Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers and other resource partners are providing free virtual business mentoring and training by phone, email, and video.
Find an SBA resource partner near you
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