Award type: project grant

This $1 million Project Grant from the Small Business Administration's Office of Entrepreneurial Development, under the Community Navigator Pilot Program (CFDA 59.077), will support the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center, Inc. to provide technical assistance and pandemic relief services to small businesses through November 2023. As the primary awardee, Northeast Indiana Innovation Center will deliver one-on-one counseling and group trainings to historically underserved small business categories. They may engage subrecipients who will also provide high-quality support and recovery services to small businesses on pandemic programs and resources. This award aims to increase participation in assistance programs from the SBA and other agencies by minority, women, veteran, rural, and disadvantaged entrepreneurs in the Fort Wayne, Indiana region.

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.