Sacramento, CA – California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), part of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), announced that it is now accepting applications for the Inclusive Innovation Hub (IHub²) Program.  The application period is open from October 11, 2021 through November 15, 2021.

CalOSBA will designate and award a total of ten (10) proposals to serve as California’s iHub² to incubate and/or accelerate technology and science-based firms in underserved regions and communities, including women and people of color. The official designation as an iHub² will be a 5-year agreement with the State of California. CalOSBA will award each designated iHub2 $250,000 to build and expand programs during the first year of operation. These financial one-year awards for each iHub² will total $2.5 Million.

Building on the strengths of the clustered regional model, CalOSBA launched the California Inclusive Innovation Hub program (iHub²) with a new focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.  The iHub² program will accelerate technology and science-based firms in key industry areas with a strong outreach focus on diverse founders, including women and people of color, and on underserved geographies and regions.

iHub² will encourage regions to build upon their existing or emerging innovation resources and local industry concentrations to create activity hubs, promote technology transfer and assist nascent companies with layered support and partnerships. Additionally, iHub² will serve as a bridge between local innovation ecosystems and state technical assistance, resources, and networks to support the success of the program.

“As we continue to work toward inclusive economic recovery, programs like iHub2 are important catalysts for innovation, new business starts, and supporting regional development through strong partnerships”, said Tara Lynn Gray, Director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate.

Eligible applicants include:

• Fully accredited institutions of higher education such as community colleges, public and private universities and state colleges;
• Private nonprofit corporations engaged in economic development activities
• Local counties or municipalities with pre-existing community/economic development departments and/or programs; and,
• Public economic development institutions such as workforce investment boards and economic development corporations.

For full application instructions and eligibility information, please see the Request for Proposals at https://calosba.ca.gov/grant-and-funding-opportunities/ and grants.ca.gov.

CalOSBA is available to provide application related technical assistance via e-mail at osba@gobiz.ca.gov. There will be a zoom webinar for interested applicants held on October 21 at 10am. 

The deadline to submit an application is November 15^th, 2021 at 12 PM PST. Applications must be submitted by e-mail to osba@gobiz.ca.gov.​

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

Heather Purcell
Deputy Director of Communications
Email Heather, HERE

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CalOSBA Website Connects Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs, & Startups With Critical State Resources They Need to Succeed.

Sacramento, CA – California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), part of the Governor’s Office of Business Economic Development (GO-Biz), today announced the launch of calosba.ca.gov – a website that connects California’s small business community with critical resources available through state-funded small business technical assistance program and other state resources.

“Small business is big business in the state of California and to that end, my department is meeting the needs of the more than 4 million small business owners by making resources easier to find, access, and use. Our new website can be thought of as a gateway to opportunity,” says Tara Lynn Gray, Director of CalOSBA.

Highlighting programs that help historically underserved small business groups is an important component of the CalOSBA website.

“Small businesses make up 99.8% of businesses in California ^[1] and it is part of our mission to meet ALL small businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovative startups where they are and be the bridge to critical programs and resources available to meet their needs,” says Michelle Radmand, Deputy Director of CalOSBA.

Small business owners, entrepreneurs, and startups can access the following information:

• Small business technical assistance centers that offer specialized support for no-cost or at a low-cost
• Financing information including state and federal capital programs and tax/credit incentive programs
• Business Learning Center that helps business owners navigate the varying stages of the business development process
• Permits, licenses, and regulations
• Access to new markets, including e-commerce, international trade, and procurement and supply chain programs

For more information, visit calosba.ca.gov.

^[1] U.S. SBA Office of Advocacy. 2021 California Small Business Profile
​

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

About CalOSBA
The Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) helps support economic growth and innovation by working to ensure that California’s small businesses and entrepreneurs have the information, tools and resources they need to plan, launch, manage and grow their businesses successfully and be resilient. The CalOSBA serves to elevate their voices in state government and to advocate on their behalf to help ensure all aspiring and current small business owners and entrepreneurs are provided with the opportunity to access capital, access markets, and connect to the networks and resources they need to succeed. For more information visit the website.

Heather Purcell
Deputy Director of Communications
Email Heather, HERE

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The additional $1.5 billion expansion, for a total of $4 billion, makes California’s small business relief program the largest in the country
The funding will support small businesses and nonprofits that have struggled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
New applications will be accepted starting September 9th

Sacramento, CA – California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), part of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), announced today that there will be three additional rounds for the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program following Governor Gavin Newsom signing into law the largest economic recovery package in state history.

“With three new rounds to aid equitable economic recovery, California is keeping its promise to small businesses, families and individuals to push back on the pandemic-induced financial hardships and create the environment for small businesses to come back better than before,” said Tara Lynn Gray, Director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate.

Guided by a principle of equity, the program provides a crucial financial recovery resource to traditionally underserved small businesses and nonprofits. As of today, in the first six funding rounds of the program, 180,939 small businesses and nonprofits have been awarded for a total of $2,034,395,811 in grant funding. Additional data can be found at https://business.ca.gov/coronavirus-2019/.

The additional $1.5 billion expansion, for a total of $4 billion, makes this the largest small business grant program of its kind in the country and provides grants up to $25,000 for small businesses impacted by the pandemic. The three new competitive funding rounds will be conducted by CalOSBA’s selected intermediary, Lendistry.

In accordance with the signed legislation (SB 151), there will be a closed round for existing eligible applicants who were waitlisted in previous rounds.  These applicants do not need to reapply. There will be at least one additional round for nonprofit cultural institutions. Additional information can be found at CAReliefGrant.com and below:

Round 7: Waitlisted applicants from certain previous rounds

Selection Window: Tuesday, August 3 through Thursday, September 16

Eligible applicants: This is a closed round and only available to eligible applicants who were waitlisted in certain previous rounds.  Selection does not guarantee approval or an award. If you were waitlisted, you do not need to reapply. New applications will not be accepted in this round.

Eligible grant award: $5,000 to $25,000

Details: This is a closed funding round; no new applications will be accepted.

Round 8: Nonprofit cultural institutions only

Application window: Friday, August 27 through Wednesday, September 8

Eligible applicants: Only nonprofit cultural institutions of any revenue size that meet eligibility criteria found at CAReliefGrant.com

Eligible grant award: $5,000 – $25,000

Details: Approximately $16 million remain under the Nonprofit Cultural Institutions Program. Eligible nonprofit cultural institutions must complete a new application even if they already applied in Rounds 1, 2, 5 or 6; nonprofit cultural institutions that applied in Round 4 do not need to reapply.  Grants will only be available to nonprofit cultural institutions that did not receive funding in any previous rounds. Grants will be prioritized based on the documented percentage revenue declines based on a reporting period comparing Q2 and Q3 of 2020 versus Q2 and Q3 of 2019.

Round 9: New Applicants and Waitlisted applicants from certain previous rounds

Application window: Thursday, September 9 through Thursday, September 30

Eligible applicants: Current waitlisted applicants from certain previous rounds and new applicants that meet eligibility criteria found at CAReliefGrant.com

Eligible grant award: $5,000 – $25,000

Details: Applicants not selected to move forward in the review process in Rounds 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, or 7 do not need to re-apply and will be automatically moved into Round 9. New applicants will need to apply at CAReliefGrant.com.

The California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program is administered by CalOSBA through a competitive bid award to its intermediary, Lendistry, and its statewide network of community-based lenders and partners. Many of the state-supported small business centers, which prioritize the expansion of technical assistance to underserved business groups, are also available to help small businesses with the application process in multiple languages and formats.

For more information on grant requirements and eligibility, along with links to application tips and webinars, visit CAReliefGrant.com.

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

About CalOSBA
The Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) helps support economic growth and innovation by working to ensure that California’s small businesses and entrepreneurs have the information, tools and resources they need to plan, launch, manage and grow their businesses successfully and be resilient. The CalOSBA serves to elevate their voices in state government and to advocate on their behalf to help ensure all aspiring and current small business owners and entrepreneurs are provided with the opportunity to access capital, access markets, and connect to the networks and resources they need to succeed. For more information visit the website.

Chris Dombrowski
Chief Deputy Director
Email Chris, HERE

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