LOS ANGELES, 01 Feb. 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Urban League (NUL) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) have announced a pilot program aptly called the Community Navigator Program (CNP) to engage and support small businesses struggling served, including micro-enterprises and rural enterprises, with an emphasis on those owned by women, veterans, and the socially and economically disadvantaged. The program aims to help underserved small businesses recover from the effects of COVID-19. Affected small businesses that have been in business for five years or less can participate in the Community Browser Program.
CNP will run a “Hub” and “Spoke” service delivery model with the National Urban League as the “Hub” and Affiliates as the “Spokes”. Urban League affiliates will act as spokespersons by providing technical assistance and providing resources to businesses. There are 25 Spokes which are organized into five (5) Regions with one (1) Lead Spoke per Region. The Los Angeles Urban League Entrepreneurship Center is given the prestigious Lead Spoke responsibility for the West 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 scheduled to begin eight classes for its Community Navigator Program on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 from 5-7 p.m. Visit www.LAUL.ORG/SBA to register for free courses.
“Because many small businesses have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, they have not been able to get loans, grants, government assistance to keep their business running. So, with funding for this pilot program from the SBA, the Community Navigator Program empowers the Los Angeles Urban League for two years to hold hands and provide technical assistance to these impacted businesses to help them get back on their feet,” said Gilbert Buchanan, Director of the Los Angeles Urban League Entrepreneur Center. “Giving them access to contracts and finance is a miraculous opportunity from an economic development perspective.
The SBA plans to be intentional in expanding its reach to underserved businesses by partnering with organizations such as the National Urban League, whose affiliates have already established relationships and experience within their communities. In other words, affiliates are community browsers.
Urban League affiliates, who are the spokespersons for the program across the country, will help entrepreneurs recover 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’s Community Navigation Program in association with the Los Angeles Urban League can register for classes at www.laul.org/sba.
RON CARTER (323) 864-7092 tca@sbcglobal.net
Copyright 2022 GlobeNewswire, Inc.
