DATE: November 30, 2001
SUBJECT: Small Business Administration; Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs
SOURCE: November 29, 2001, Small Business Administration News Release
AGENCIES: Small Business Administration (SBA)
ACTION: Notice
SYNOPSIS: SBA is initiating the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME) to provide these low-income and very low-income entrepreneurs with access to more training and technical assistance.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Entrepreneurs and small business owners who may qualify to receive training or technical assistance under the PRIME program should contact a local SBA district office listed at http://www.sba.gov/services.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Under the PRIME program, the SBA provides federal funds to community-based, regional and national organizations that in turn will offer training and technical assistance to "microentrepreneurs" -- small businesses with five employees or less.
The Department of Commerce has estimated that more than two million businesses in the United States are microentrepreneurs, but only a fraction receives business assistance. The major focus of the PRIME program is business-based assistance to these microentrepreneurs, who usually lack sufficient training and education to gain access to capital to establish and expand their own small businesses.
During this inaugural year of the PRIME program, SBA is concentrating on economically distressed areas. The SBA has selected 69 organizations in 28 states to provide this service:
| ORGANIZATIONS | LOCATION | |
|---|---|---|
| E.C. Schlarb Foundation | Birmingham | AL |
| AZ Council for Econo Conversion | Tucson | AZ |
| Interfaith Service Bureau | Sacramento | CA |
| El Pajaro CDC | Watsonville | CA |
| CHARO CDC | Los Angeles | CA |
| Jefferson Econ Dev Institute | Mt. Shasta | CA |
| Renaissance Entrepshp. Center | San Francisco | CA |
| Valley Econ Dev Cntr | Van Nuys | CA |
| Women's Enterp. Dev Corp | Long Beach | CA |
| Women's Econ Ventures | Santa Barbara | CA |
| Asian Pacific Islander Small Bus Program (LTSC Corsort) | Los Angeles | CA |
| North Coast Small Business Resource Center | Cresent City | CA |
| Vermont Slauson Econ Dev Corp | Los Angeles | CA |
| Pacific Asian Consortium (PACE) | Los Angeles | CA |
| West Enterprise Center, Inc. | Ukiah | CA |
| Women's Initiatives for Self Employment | San Francisco | CA |
| New America Foundation | Berkeley | CA |
| Colorado Capital Initiatives | Denver | CO |
| Women's Bus. Cntr, Inc. | Washington | DC |
| H St. Finance Corp | Washington | DC |
| Lee Cnty Emp. & Econ Dev. Corp. | Fort Myers | FL |
| Community Investments Inc. | Pensacola | FL |
| Florida Atlantic University | Ft. Lauderdale | FL |
| Cobb Microenterprise Council | Kennesaw | GA |
| Atlanta One Stop Capital Shop | Atlanta | GA |
| Maui Econ Opportunity & Bus Dev Corp | Wailuku | HI |
| Pacific Gateway | Honolulu | HI |
| Institute for Social & Econo Dev | Coralville | IA |
| Ida-Ore Planning and Dev Assoc. Inc. | Boise | ID |
| Community Ventures Corp | Lexington | KY |
| Center for Women Enterprise | Boston | MA |
| Jewish Vocational Services | Boston | MA |
| Western MA Enterprise Fund | Greenfield | MA |
| Women's Enterpreneurs of Baltimore | Baltimore | MD |
| Community Support for Micro Opportunities | Bangor | ME |
| Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living | Ann Arbor | MI |
| Detroit Enterpreneurship Institute | Detroit | MI |
| Wayne Metro Community Services | Ecorse | MI |
| University of MO Outreach & Extension SBDC | Columbia | MO |
| Mountain Microenterprise Fund | Asheville | NC |
| WESST/NMCDLF | Albuquerque | NM |
| Taos County Econ Dev Corp | Taos | NM |
| Worker Ownership Resource Center | Rochester | NY |
| Rural Opportunities Enterprise Center | Rochester | NY |
| Women's Housing and Econ Dev Corp | New York | NY |
| Project Enterprise | New York | NY |
| Renaissance Econo Dev Corp | New York | NY |
| Business Outreach Center Network, Inc. (a Consort.) | Brooklyn | NY |
| Chinatown Manpower Project., Inc. | New York | NY |
| Alternatives Federal Credit Union | Ithaca | NY |
| Nat'l Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship | New York | NY |
| Supporting Council of Preventive Effort | Dayton | OH |
| WECO FUND Inc. | Cleveland | OH |
| Community Action Committee of Pike Cnty Inc. | Piketon | OH |
| Little Dixie Comm Action Agency | Hugo | OK |
| Oregon Assoc of Min Enterpreneurs | Portland | OR |
| Oregon Microenterprise Network | Eugene | OR |
| Philadelphia Commercial Develop. Corp | Philadelphia | PA |
| Philadelphia Develop. Partnership | Philadelphia | PA |
| Women's Bus. Dev Cntr | Philadelphia | PA |
| Economic Ventures, Inc. | Knoxville | TN |
| LeMoyne Owen College Community Dev Corp | Memphis | TN |
| Entrepreneurial Guidance and Training, Inc. | Nashville | TN |
| Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce | El Paso | TX |
| ACCION | San Antonio | TX |
| Total Action Against Poverty | Roanoke | VA |
| People Incorporated | Abingon | VA |
| Shorebank Enterprise Group Pacific | Ilwaco | WA |
| Appalachian by Design | Lewisburg | WV |
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Panoptic Enterprises at 703-451-5953 or by e-mail to Panoptic@FedGovContracts.com.
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