In this Must Know…
- New Year, New Staff!
- Join the 2024 Cohort of CAMEO’s CDFI Essentials, starting February 20, 2024.
- Governor’s FY 2024-25 Proposed Budget
- This week’s Goodie Highlight is the Make Startups Fellowship for leaders in entrepreneurship support and economic development. Applications are due January 31, 2024.
New Year, New Staff!
CAMEO is thrilled to kick-start 2024 with three new team members. Please join us in welcoming:
- Baldev Birk, Chief Financial Officer. Baldev has been working closely with CAMEO for the last few years, as former CFO of Fresno-based Access Plus Capital and as a member of our Board of Directors.
- Douglas Craven, Sr. Program Manager, CDFI Programs. Based in Ohio, Douglas was formerly in charge of the Economic & Community Development Institute’s (ECDI) Strategic Partnership efforts as well as their Business Incubation & Innovation Center.
- Elena Franco, Program Manager. Elena spent the last couple of years growing and scaling consumer packaged food businesses and building programming that helped creative entrepreneurs achieve upward economic mobility.
2024 CDFI Essentials
Join the 2024 Cohort of CAMEO’s CDFI Essentials, our monthly facilitated peer learning program.
This year-long cohort is designed to train the staff of microlending and small business lending CDFIs to acquire essential skills, develop policies, and effectively manage risk—all while staying true to their mission of serving entrepreneurs of color and LMI communities.
The sessions will begin February 20, 2024 and will take place the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 10:00am PT.
Governor’s 2024-25 Budget
California Governor Gavin Newsom released his proposed FY 2024-25 budget last week. After reviewing the budget details, we are pleased to see that appropriations for several important small business programs remain intact despite the budget deficit. These programs include:
- The California Investment and Innovation Program (Cal IIP)
- The Small Business Technical Assistance Program (SB-TAP)
- Women’s Business Center Enhancement Program (WBCEP)
- The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI)
This week, SB 869 (Glazer), which sought to regulate non-loan commercial financing products the same as loan products and rein in predatory brokers, was placed on suspense by the Senate Appropriations Committee. CAMEO continues our commitment to responsible small business lending – so stay tuned.
The Goodies
Professional Opportunities
- Join Community Vision’s free three-part webinar series on nonprofit financial management, covering short, mid and long-term planning, starting January 31, 2024 at 10:00am PT.
- The Make Startups Fellowship is a unique training opportunity for leaders in entrepreneurship support and economic development to access new streams of funding and integrate cutting edge technologies into programs. Applications are due January 31, 2024.
Funding Opportunities
- Credit Builders Alliance’s Credit Building Program assists organizations in integrating credit building products into their financial coaching/counseling programs. CBA is hosting an informational webinar on January 24, 2024 at 9:00am PT.
- The AARP Purpose Prize award recognizes nonprofit founders with $50,000 for their organizations and a year of supports and resources to help broaden their impact. Applications are due February 29, 2024.
New Research
- Read the University of Bedfordshire’s policy brief, A Pathway to a Financially Inclusive and Sustainable Tacoma, WA.
- The Federal Reserve’s research brief, Understanding CDFI Financial Data, discusses ways in which CDFI financial metrics can be challenging to evaluate for stakeholders unfamiliar with the sector.
Other Goodies
- Member Kudos: Congrats to Feed the Hunger Fund on being 1 of the 8 US organizations chosen for Citi Foundation’s first Global Innovation Challenge.
- Jobs: CIELO, MCSC Women’s Business Center, Accessity, and Prospera announced new jobs recently. See who else is hiring!