U.S. Small Business Administration: Native American Micro Enterprise Business Services Grant

Funding Opportunity No. ONAA-7j-2019-01, U.S. Small Business Administration/Office of Business Development (BD) OPENING DATE: July 10, 2019 CLOSING DATE: August 5, 2019. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issues Funding Opportunity No. ONAA-7j-2019-01, as authorized by the Small Business Act, Section 7j; 15 U.S.C.A. Section 636(j); 13 C.F.R. Sections 701-704, to invite proposals for funding of unique and innovative efforts to provide management and technical assistance to eligible firms and individuals.  The assigned NAICS code is 541611.

The Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA) mission is to ensure that American Indian, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians (referred to collectively as Native American) seeking to create, develop and expand small businesses have full access to the business development and expansion tools available through the Agency’s entrepreneurial development, lending and procurement programs.  ONAA’s overarching goal is to promote and support American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs.  In recent years, ONAA has successfully sponsored and managed nation-wide contractor-led workshops and roundtables, co-sponsored agreements, interagency agreements, and tribal consultations; developed and distributed promotional materials; and attended and participated in national and regional economic development conferences as subject matter experts for these groups. 

Our vision for this program initiative is not to encourage duplication of what ONAA has traditionally done in the past, but to solicit new innovative approaches to meet the needs of these targeted groups at the microenterprise level of business ownership.  The focus of this program initiative is to target specific Native American business operations in underserved markets throughout the country including underserved microenterprise Native American firms to further expand their business development offerings.  Additionally, ONAA’s vision is to support microenterprises that serve their communities and the surrounding communities.  Such empowerment will serve to maximize economic impact and improve quality of life for the targeted underserved communities.

Section 7(j) of the Small Business Act authorizes the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide management and technical assistance to eligible individuals and businesses.  To be eligible for 7(j) services, a client must be:  a socially and economically disadvantaged individual whose firm is a participant in the 8(a) Business Development Program; a business that is eligible to receive 8(a) contracts; or a business which qualifies as small under 13 CFR subpart 121 – Small Business size Regulations, and which is located in an urban or rural area with a high proportion of unemployed or low-income individuals, or which is owned by low-income individuals.  The term “high proportion of unemployed” means the urban or rural county’s unemployment rate is not less than 140 percent of average unemployment rate for the United States or for the State in which such county is located, whichever is less, based on the most recent data available in the annual Local Area Unemployment Statistics report from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The term “low-income individual” means an individual whose family’s taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount established by the Bureau of Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, for determining poverty status.

Since its inception in 1953, SBA has served to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small businesses.  While SBA is best known for its financial support of small businesses through its many lending programs, the Agency also plays a critical role in providing funding to organizations that deliver technical assistance in the form of counseling and training to small business concerns and nascent entrepreneurs in order to promote growth, expansion, innovation, increased productivity and management improvement.  The mission of SBA’s Office of Business Development, which bears responsibility for administering the Management and Technical Assistance Program, is to administer the section 8(a) program, which offers business development assistance to over 9,000 small government contractors that, in addition to meeting other criteria, are certified by SBA as owned and controlled at least 51% by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.  As a component of BD, the Office of Management and Technical Assistance (OMTA) 

Funding Opportunity No. ONAA-7j-2019-01, U.S. Small Business Administration/Office of Business Development (BD) OPENING DATE: July 10, 2019 CLOSING DATE: August 5, 2019 The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issues Funding Opportunity No. ONAA-7j-2019-01, as authorized by the Small Business Act, Section 7j; 15 U.S.C.A. Section 636(j); 13 C.F.R. Sections 701-704, to invite proposals for funding of unique and innovative efforts to provide management and technical assistance to eligible firms and individuals.  The assigned NAICS code is 541611.

The Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA) mission is to ensure that American Indian, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians (referred to collectively as Native American) seeking to create, develop and expand small businesses have full access to the business development and expansion tools available through the Agency’s entrepreneurial development, lending and procurement programs.  ONAA’s overarching goal is to promote and support American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs.  In recent years, ONAA has successfully sponsored and managed nation-wide contractor-led workshops and roundtables, co-sponsored agreements, interagency agreements, and tribal consultations; developed and distributed promotional materials; and attended and participated in national and regional economic development conferences as subject matter experts for these groups.  Our vision for this program initiative is not to encourage duplication of what ONAA has traditionally done in the past, but to solicit new innovative approaches to meet the needs of these targeted groups at the microenterprise level of business ownership.  The focus of this program initiative is to target specific Native American business operations in underserved markets throughout the country including underserved microenterprise Native American firms to further expand their business development offerings.  Additionally, ONAA’s vision is to support microenterprises that serve their communities and the surrounding communities.  Such empowerment will serve to maximize economic impact and improve quality of life for the targeted underserved communities.

Section 7(j) of the Small Business Act authorizes the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide management and technical assistance to eligible individuals and businesses.  To be eligible for 7(j) services, a client must be:  a socially and economically disadvantaged individual whose firm is a participant in the 8(a) Business Development Program; a business that is eligible to receive 8(a) contracts; or a business which qualifies as small under 13 CFR subpart 121 – Small Business size Regulations, and which is located in an urban or rural area with a high proportion of unemployed or low-income individuals, or which is owned by low-income individuals.  The term “high proportion of unemployed” means the urban or rural county’s unemployment rate is not less than 140 percent of average unemployment rate for the United States or for the State in which such county is located, whichever is less, based on the most recent data available in the annual Local Area Unemployment Statistics report from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The term “low-income individual” means an individual whose family’s taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount established by the Bureau of Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, for determining poverty status.

Since its inception in 1953, SBA has served to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small businesses.  While SBA is best known for its financial support of small businesses through its many lending programs, the Agency also plays a critical role in providing funding to organizations that deliver technical assistance in the form of counseling and training to small business concerns and nascent entrepreneurs in order to promote growth, expansion, innovation, increased productivity and management improvement.  The mission of SBA’s Office of Business Development, which bears responsibility for administering the Management and Technical Assistance Program, is to administer the section 8(a) program, which offers business development assistance to over 9,000 small government contractors that, in addition to meeting other criteria, are certified by SBA as owned and controlled at least 51% by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.  As a component of BD, the Office of Management and Technical Assistance (OMTA)

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to invite proposals for funding from capable Applicants to eligible small business concerns under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Program to promote the development, success and long-term strength of small businesses providing specialized management and technical assistance, entrepreneurial education and training in delivering of vital business development services to Native American business communities across the country.

An application submitted by an entity that does not meet the above stated criteria will not be considered. The following organizations will automatically be considered ineligible and their applications will be rejected without being evaluated: any entity that owes an outstanding and unresolved financial obligation to the federal government; any entity that is currently suspended, debarred or otherwise prohibited from receiving awards of contracts or grants from the federal government; any entity that has an outstanding and unresolved material deficiency reported under the requirements of the Single Audit Act or OMB Circular A-133 within the past three years; any entity that has had a grant or cooperative agreement involuntarily terminated or non-renewed by SBA for cause; any entity that has filed for bankruptcy within the past five years; and/or any entity that proposes to serve as a pass-through and permit another organization to manage the day-to-day operations of the project.

Funding Opportunity No. ONAA-7j-2019-01, U.S. Small Business Administration/Office of Business Development (BD) OPENING DATE: July 10, 2019 CLOSING DATE: August 5, 2019 The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issues Funding Opportunity No. ONAA-7j-2019-01, as authorized by the Small Business Act, Section 7j; 15 U.S.C.A. Section 636(j); 13 C.F.R. Sections 701-704, to invite proposals for funding of unique and innovative efforts to provide management and technical assistance to eligible firms and individuals.  The assigned NAICS code is 541611.

Since its inception in 1953, SBA has served to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small businesses.  While SBA is best known for its financial support of small businesses through its many lending programs, the Agency also plays a critical role in providing funding to organizations that deliver technical assistance in the form of counseling and training to small business concerns and nascent entrepreneurs in order to promote growth, expansion, innovation, increased productivity and management improvement.  The mission of SBA’s Office of Business Development, which bears responsibility for administering the Management and Technical Assistance Program, is to administer the section 8(a) program, which offers business development assistance to over 9,000 small government contractors that, in addition to meeting other criteria, are certified by SBA as owned and controlled at least 51% by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.  As a component of BD, the Office of Management and Technical Assistance (OMTA) implements the authority that section 7j of the Small Business Act vests with SBA to award contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements to private organizations to pay all or part of the costs of services and projects that provide management and technical assistance to 8(a) program participants and other socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, businesses located in areas of high concentrations of unemployment or low-incomes, and businesses owned by low- income individuals.  Annually, the 7j program reaches thousands of eligible businesses located throughout the United States and its territories.

The overarching mission of the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development is to assist small businesses compete for Federal prime contracting and to secure subcontracting opportunities from large businesses. Within the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development, the Office of Business Development’s specific mission is to execute activities authorized under Sections 8(a) and 7j of the Small Business Act. Under the former, SBA provides business development assistance to firms that are owned and controlled by economically and socially disadvantaged individuals. Under the latter, SBA provides management and technical assistance to: (1) firm that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals; (2) low-income individuals; and, (3) firms and individuals located in areas of high unemployment and/or low income.  

This Funding Opportunity seeks proposal of efforts that are unique and innovative in the substance of the assistance to be provided to beneficiaries, and/or the methodology by which the assistance is to be provided.  SBA is seeking proposal of efforts that address the many challenges facing 8(a) and 7(j) eligible firms today including, but not limited to, teaming with other businesses, mastering the process of procuring a Federal government contract, reversing declines and turning around businesses, and securing loan financing or private equity funding.  Therefore, applicants may not propose efforts which merely duplicate any or all of the SBA’s ongoing array of management and technical assistance services, in substance and/or method of delivery.