The Native Small Business Administration program has expanded under the American Rescue Plan initiative by adding Community Navigators. The program is meant to support entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, such as American Indian and Alaska Native business owners, by providing an expert in the process of leveraging SBA resources. The community navigators help connect businesses to:
- Financial assistance,
- Access to capital,
- Contracting and procurement,
- Business development,
- Business operations, including marketing and exporting, and
- Industry-specific training.
The program uses a hub and spoke model: this means the hub is the central location with spokes in various communities. There are 51 Hub organizations, with 450 Spokes, which allow navigators to serve every state and Puerto Rico. It allows for a streamline approach to communications, as well as resources which can travel all the way back to the SBA without the organization becoming overwhelmed. This means information should flow faster and easier as it is sorted into 51 directions rather than the thousands it previously served.
You can find your local community navigator by entering your zip code into the locator. This will pull up the local assistance programs around your zip code, which may include a district office, a hub, or a spoke. All of the listings can provide assistance though, so you’re never far away from support.
