View original document

The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Vice President Harris, Treasury Department Announce Over $175
Million to Support Small Businesses as Part of the Biden-Harris
Administration’s Investing in America Agenda
August 4, 2023

The Minority Business Development Agency announces first awardees under the Capital Readiness
Program – funded by the Treasury Department’s State Small Business Credit Initiative – to support
small businesses applying for government small business programs
In addition, Treasury Department awards first State Small Business Credit Initiative Technical
Assistance grants to help small businesses in 12 states access legal, accounting, and financial
counsel
WASHINGTON – Today, Vice President Harris is announcing the initial awardees under the Minority
Business Development Agency (MBDA) Capital Readiness Program (CRP) – a technical assistance
program funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative
(SSBCI). The CRP enables small businesses to access critical technical assistance, including by
supporting incubators and accelerators that provide services to underserved businesses. The
Treasury Department has increased its previously announced support for the CRP, to a total of
$125 million in SSBCI funding.
In addition, the Treasury Department is announcing the approval of the first awards under the
SSBCI Technical Assistance Grant Program to 12 states, totaling over $57 million. These awards will
be used to provide legal, accounting, and financial advisory services to very small businesses and
underserved small businesses applying for the SSBCI capital program and other government small
business programs.
“The investments through the State Small Business Credit Initiative are a key part of the BidenHarris Administration’s efforts to fuel the small business boom by providing small businesses and
entrepreneurs the resources they need to succeed,” said Deputy Secretary Wally
Adeyemo. “Today's announcements are important steps in helping unlock the potential of
entrepreneurs in underserved communities across the nation who may have otherwise never had
the support needed to pursue their business ideas and ambitions.” President Biden’s American
Rescue Plan reauthorized and expanded SSBCI, which was originally established in 2010 and was

highly successful in increasing access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The new
SSBCI builds on this successful model by providing nearly $10 billion to states, the District of
Columbia, territories, and Tribal governments to increase access to capital and promote
entrepreneurship, especially in traditionally underserved communities as they emerge from the
pandemic. SSBCI funding at large is expected to catalyze up to $10 of private investment for every
$1 of SSBCI capital funding, amplifying the effects of this funding and providing small business
owners with the resources they need to sustainably grow and thrive.
The expanded SSBCI includes funding for technical assistance to help small businesses apply for
the SSBCI Capital Program and other government small business programs. The
Treasury Department’s newly announced SSBCI Technical Assistance Grant Program is designed to
complement the SSBCI Capital Program. While access to capital is a key component for small
business stability, resiliency, and growth – particularly for historically underserved small
businesses – additional technical support will help these small businesses secure and maximize
that capital. The Technical Assistance Program will provide vital aid to help small businesses
become “capital ready” by preparing them to take on loans or investment and steward capital for
small business success.
From today’s $57 million awards under the SSBCI Technical Assistance Grant Program to 12 states,
here are examples of how award recipients are utilizing their funding:
California: The California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), approved for up to
$25.3 million, will oversee regionally-based legal, accounting, and financial advisory services
to help small businesses apply for support from state and/or federal small business programs,
and will also help connect companies directly with its SSBCI-supported capital programs. The
CalOSBA anticipates reaching 113,000 small businesses with these financial services and
supporting 40,000 small business loans for underserved and very small businesses using the
technical assistance award.
Ohio: The Ohio Department of Development (ODD), approved for up to $5.2 million, will
connect underserved businesses to regional financial advisory, accounting, and/or legal
services, as well as non-traditional financing sources like the state’s SSBCI-funded capital
programs. By the fourth year of the program, ODD’s Minority Business Development Division
(MBDD) anticipates reaching up to 360 businesses annually to provide these services for the
remainder of the program.
Nevada: The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, approved for up to $2
million, will work with the Nevada Small Business Development Center (Nevada SBDC) to
provide training – including a 10-week bootcamp – and networking opportunities as well as

one-on-one counseling to connect underserved and very small businesses directly with
support for legal, accounting and financial advisory services. Nevada SBDC anticipates
assisting more than a thousand companies through the technical assistance grant program,
and estimates that this will create more than a thousand jobs.
In addition to today’s announcement, to date, the Treasury Department has announced the
approval of state, territory, and Tribal government plans corresponding to over $8 billion in
funding under the SSBCI Capital Program to support small business and entrepreneurship and
expand access to capital. In the coming months, the Treasury Department will continue to review
and approve plans under both the Capital Program and Technical Assistance Grant Program.
###