The minority business development agency will use the coronavirus response and relief funding to serve and provide a more comprehensive relief to minority business enterprises to prevent, prepare for,…

The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) awarded $496,589 under the MBDA Business Center cooperative agreement to provide technical assistance, training, education, and advisory services to minority business enterprises affected by COVID-19 in Puerto Rico. Asociacion Hecho En Puerto Rico, Inc., doing business as the Minority Business Development Center, will deliver these products and services from July 2021 through June 2022. Key performance metrics include the number of minority businesses assisted, informed of COVID-19 assistance programs, and submitting applications to such programs with the Center's help. The Center will also track awards minority businesses receive from programs and the number and types of minority firms affected in economically distressed areas that receive assistance. The MBDA Business Center program overall seeks to promote and ensure growth of minority enterprises through innovative projects.

The minority business development agency will use the coronavirus response and relief funding to serve and provide a more comprehensive relief to minority business enterprises to prevent, prepare for, and respond to effects of covid-19. Such assistance will include technical assistance, training, education, and advisory services to minority business enterprises. The performance goals and metrics include: number of minority business enterprises affected by covid-19 that are assisted by the business center; number of minority business enterprises informed and/or referred by the business center to covid-related local, state, and federal government assistance programs; number of MBE applications submitted to local, state, and federal government assistance programs as a result of business center assistance; number of awards issued by local, state, and federal programs to minority business enterprises assisted by the business center; and number and type (small, medium, large, ) of minority business enterprises affected by covid-19, in economically distressed areas, assisted by the business center.