In this Must Know…
- SCALE Small Business Spotlight Road Tour: Watts Up Mini Market
- Save the Date for Advocacy Day on June 2, 2026!
- Announcing our new partnership with Mastercard Strive USA
- Our CEO, Carolina Martinez, recently spoke to the Business Journals about the uptick in small business bankruptcies due to federal loan debt.
- Take Action: Sign on to our letter of support for the California Investment and Innovation Program by February 20!
- This week’s Goodie Highlight is the Center at Lendistry’s Main Street Goes Green Accelerator, which closes applications on March 9, 2026.
SCALE Small Business Spotlight: Watts Up Mini Market
| The SCALE Small Business Spotlight Road Tour continues in 2026 with a stop in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles! Last Friday, owner Keisha Daniels celebrated the grand reopening of Watts Up Mini Market. Keisha received business coaching and a $50,000 loan from Macedonia Community Development Corporation, a SCALE Network partner, in order to renovate and reopen the market. Her business is driven by a vision of reviving the tradition of close-knit neighborhood markets and small businesses that look out for their neighbors and provide healthy, affordable food options to everyone, regardless of income. |
| In attendance at the event was Congresswoman Maxine Waters, ranking member of the House Committee on Financial Services and a longtime champion for California’s small businesses. Congresswoman Waters highlighted the continued responsibility to invest in and support under-resourced communities, even when support from the federal government falls short. We were also joined by Elmy Bermejo, Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, who emphasized how the SCALE program advances the mission of uplifting communities by expanding access to capital, technical assistance, and long-term support for entrepreneurs. To date, SCALE has connected over 13,000 entrepreneurs across California with no-cost business advising and support to become capital-ready. Friday’s event was a celebration of the program’s success and highlighted how, when small businesses are supported, the whole community benefits. |
Save The Date: 2026 Advocacy Day
Mark your calendar for June 2! Join us in Sacramento as we champion the policies California’s small businesses need now. From access to capital and responsible lending to community investment and new entrepreneurial opportunities, Advocacy Day 2026 is your chance to meet with legislators and elevate your clients’ priorities. Together, we’ll push for equitable funding and innovative solutions that strengthen our state’s small business ecosystem.
New Partnership with Mastercard Strive USA
CAMEO Network is proud to announce we are a new grantee of Mastercard Strive USA as part of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. This investment will strengthen our Shared Services Center, expand technical assistance for lenders, and deploy the Mastercard Capability Stack to help small businesses build stronger, more resilient operations. We’re excited to deepen our impact and advance inclusive, place-based ecosystems nationwide.
The Goodies
For Your Clients
- The Aspen Institute’s Job Quality Center of Excellence has a set of resources to help entrepreneurs learn about job quality improvements.
- The Center at Lendistry’s Main Street Goes Green Accelerator supports the implementation of sustainability practices. Applications close March 9, 2026.
Events & Conferences
- The CDFI Coalition’s Annual Institute will take place March 18-19, 2026 in Washington, DC.
- Join Opportunity Finance Network for their second annual Marketing and Communications CDFI Practitioner Summit on March 31, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.
Free Webinars
- Join the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for “Investing in Rural California Infrastructure for Tribal Communities” on March 3, 2026 at 1:00pm PT.
- TechSoup is hosting “What a Modern Nonprofit Marketing System Looks Like” on April 21, 2026 at 10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET.
Other Goodies
- New Research: The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently published “Sizing the Community Development Financial Institution Industry: 2011—2025.”
- Jobs: California FarmLink, Community Vision, InclusiFi, and The Center at Lendistry announced new jobs recently. See who else is hiring!