Award type: project grant

This $823,108 Project Grant from the Small Business Administration Office of Entrepreneurial Development will support the Abilene Chamber of Commerce in providing technical assistance and recovery services to small businesses through November 2023. Funded through the Community Navigator Pilot Program (CFDA 59.077), the Chamber and its contractors will deliver one-on-one counseling and group trainings focused on pandemic relief programs and recovery to historically underserved entrepreneurs and small businesses. As a Hub organization and its Spoke contractors, the Chamber will directly assist minority, women, veteran, rural, and socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses in accessing $823k in assistance from the American Rescue Plan Act programs administered by the SBA and other agencies. The grant aims to increase participation in and awareness of available COVID-19 relief.

Activities

Provide high quality support and technical assistance with pandemic relief programs and recovery services to small businesses.; deliverables: grantees will provide reports on activities and progress toward stated goals to SBA on a quarterly basis.

Expected outcomes

Increase awareness of and participation in programs of the u.s small business administration and other government agencies.

Intended beneficiaries

Small businesses and entrepreneurs that fall into a historically underserved category, including minority entrepreneurs (black, indigenous, and people of color), entrepreneurs with disabilities, lgbtq entrepreneurs, rural entrepreneurs; veterans and military entrepreneurs (including spouses), women entrepreneurs, innovative startups, micro businesses, and socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses

Subrecipient activities

Grantees (hubs) and their contractors (spokes) will provide high quality support and technical assistance with pandemic relief programs and recovery services to small businesses. This support takes the form of 1:1 counseling and group trainings.