This community-based program will engage and support underserved small businesses, including micro and rural businesses with emphasis on those owned by women, veterans and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals
The National Urban League (NUL) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced a pilot program aptly called the Community Navigator Program (CNP) to engage and support underserved small businesses, including micro and rural businesses with emphasis on those owned by women, veterans and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The program is focused to help underserved small businesses recover from the effects of COVID-19. Impacted small businesses who have been operating for five or less years are eligible to participate in the Community Navigator Program.
The CNP will execute a “Hub” and “Spoke” service delivery model with the National Urban League as the “Hub” and the Affiliates as “Spokes.” Urban League Affiliates will act as Spokes delivering technical assistance and providing resources to businesses. There are 25 Spokes that are organized into five (5) Regions with one (1) Lead Spoke per Region. The Los Angeles Urban League Entrepreneurship Center is assigned the prestigious responsibility of Lead Spoke for the Western Region, overseeing the activities of four other Spokes including Las Vegas Urban League, Greater Phoenix Urban League, Urban League of San Diego County, and Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle.
The Los Angeles Urban League is set to begin eight classes for its Community Navigator Program on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 from 5 pm – 7 pm. Visit www.LAUL.ORG/SBA to register for the free classes.
“Because, many small businesses have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they could not obtain loans, grants, assistance from the government to keep their businesses float. So, with the SBA funding this pilot program, the Community Navigator Program, for two years is authorizing the Los Angeles Urban League to hand-hold and provide technical assistance to these impacted businesses to help them back on their feet,” said Gilbert Buchanan, Director of the Los Angeles Urban League Entrepreneur Center. “Giving them access to contracts and funding is a miraculous opportunity from an economic development standpoint.”
The SBA plans on being intentional in strengthening its outreach to underserved businesses by partnering with organizations, such as the National Urban League, whose affiliates already has established relationships and experience within their communities. In other words, the affiliates are the Community Navigators.
Urban League Affiliates, who are Spokes in the program around the country, will assist entrepreneurs in recovering from the effects of the pandemic within their operations and provide information and tools to stabilize and grow their businesses. Recovery services will include financial assistance, access to capital, business-to-business networking, contracting and procurement assistance, marketing, operations, and business development, export and industry specific training.
Interested small businesses who are eligible and interested in the National Urban League and Small Business Administration Community Navigation Program in association with Los Angeles Urban League can register for the classes at www.laul.org/sba.
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