The California Legislature allocated $8m to bolster California’s Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) program. Five million dollars of the budget is dedicated to nonprofit organizations to perform community outreach about MEHKO opportunities; educate and train MEHKO owners; market and build awareness for MEHKOs; and negotiate preferred rates for food, supplies, equipment, and services. The funding can also be used to provide pass through equity grants to help MEHKOs start or support their businesses.
Category: news
Reflecting on CAMEO’s Commitment to the National CDFI Academy One Year Later
CAMEO formally launched its National CDFI Academy during the CGI Annual Convening in New York in September 2022.
2023 Bay Area Member Meeting Recap
On Friday, September 8, 2023, we held our Bay Area Member Meeting at the Google Community Space in downtown San Francisco. It was great to see so many of our members in one room and share with them all the exciting initiatives that CAMEO has been working on this year. We are especially thankful to Louise Dawson, Deputy Director of the SBA San Francisco District Office, for joining us to talk about important SBA updates.
CalSavers Update – August 2023
Twenty percent of California workers need access to a retirement plan. Workers without a retirement plan will cost California $63 billion between 2021 -2040 if nothing is done to offer retirement options.
Small Business Investments Hold Steady in California’s Budget
By Addison Peterson, CAMEO’s Policy Specialist. The California FY 2023-24 budget was finally finalized – several weeks late. This year included steep cuts overall, but small business programs saw a stable budget with few cuts. Below are some highlights from the 2023-24 budget: California budgeted $25.3 million from the U.S. Treasury’s State Small Business Credit
Federal Trade Commission’s Efforts to Keep Small Businesses Safe and Solvent
Last week, Public Private Strategies Institute (co-sponsored by CAMEO and other small business partners) hosted Lina Kahn, chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to discuss how the agency is helping small businesses.
The First CAMEO Summit: A Sign of Great Things to Come
The 2023 CAMEO Summit (our very first one!) was a resounding success – all thanks to our attendees, sponsors, volunteers, and of course, staff. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who made the trip to downtown Sacramento for Advocacy Day, MicroLenders Forum, or both. It is a testament to the commitment of our network to address the issues and challenges facing entrepreneurs each and every day.
Community Economic Resilience Fund Awards $19.6 million to CAMEO Members
Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced $39 million in state funding through the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF). The Fund, a cross-agency project administered by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), and the Labor & Workforce Development Agency, was created to support communities with their transition
Governor’s Budget – May Revise
Last Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom released a revised version of his 2023-24 state budget. While there are some proposed increases to several small business programs, the proposed cuts to other critical programs could result in severe harm to the state’s small and micro businesses. Lawmakers have until June 15, 2023 to agree to a final
SBA Issues Final Rules for Business Lending Programs
SBA released a final regulation to streamline and modernize 7(a) and 504 loan program regulations regarding partial changes of ownership, lending criteria, hazard insurance requirements, reconsiderations and affiliation standards. In releasing the regulation, SBA observed the need to modernize these programs to incorporate successful components of COVID era programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and