Now, more than ever, it is important to focus on the need for strong connections between founders and the investors looking to support them, as reflected in the visual theme of this year’s annual report: building bridges. We call on Congress, the Commission, and our partners to support small businesses and their investors, with a particular focus on underrepresented founders and their investors.
Resource Category: Policy
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: How Food Regulations Starve Sidewalk Vendors of Opportunity and What Can Be Done to Finish the Legalization of Street Food
The City of LA began issuing its vending permits in 2020, yet it has only issued 165 permits to sidewalk food vendors, even though there are an estimated ten thousand eligible vendors. The report, “UNFINISHED BUSINESS: How Food Regulations Starve Sidewalk Vendors of Opportunity and What Can Be Done to Finish the Legalization of Street
Entrepreneurship Research Methodologies for Equity and Inclusion
Historically, research on entrepreneurship and innovation has rarely been conducted using community-engaged methodologies – even in work that seeks to address barriers to entrepreneurship in systemically marginalized communities. We believe that including the voices of entrepreneurs in the research process may produce more nuanced and robust findings that, ultimately, can serve as the basis for programs and policies that could truly change the landscape of entrepreneurship in the United States.
The Small Business Boom Under the Biden-Harris Administration
Through the American Rescue Plan and the equitable implementation of emergency relief programs, President Biden and Vice President Harris fostered the strongest recovery for Main Street on record. In 2021, Americans applied to start 5.4 million new businesses—more than 20 percent higher than any previous year on record. The boom in new business creation has been
Small Business Finance FAQ February 2022
Small businesses borrow mainly for four reasons: to start a business, purchase inventory, expand,
or to strengthen the firm’s financial health. Firms choose different means of financing depending on
the intended purpose.
Small businesses share views on current issues: vaccine mandates, supply chain disruptions and Build Back Better
From ongoing supply chain disruptions to new fears surrounding potential impacts stemming from the Omicron variant, small business owners continue to face uncertainty about the future of their businesses. A new survey from Small Business Majority sheds a light on how supply chain disruptions are impacting small business during the crucial fourth quarter, as well
National Survey Shows Small Businesses Hurt by Lack of Affordable Child Care and Owners Support Federal Child Care Investments
A national survey of more than 1,000 small business owners in, Small Business for America’s Future’s small business network finds that small businesses are being hurt by a lack of affordable child care, and small business owners support increases in federal funding for child care. “The lack of affordable, high-quality child care directly impacts our ability to
Policy Brief: An Impact Investing Policy Agenda for Growing Employee Ownership to Support COVID-19 Recovery
The COVID pandemic has been a perfect storm hitting the small and local businesses that make our neighborhoods and cities unique. It’s estimated that 200,000 more small businesses than normal shutdown in the last year, and that from February to April 2020, Black, Latinx, and Asian business ownership dropped 41%, 32%, and 26% respectively –
Program Changes Increased Lending to the Smallest Businesses and in Underserved Locations
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) supports small businesses through forgivable loans for payroll and other eligible costs. Early lending favored larger and rural businesses, according to GAO’s analysis of Small Business Administration (SBA) data. Specifically, 42 percent of Phase 1 loans (approved from April 3–16, 2020) went to larger businesses (10 to 499 employees), although
Survey: Small businesses support bold investments in child care and paid leave, share views on mask and vaccine requirement
As Congress debates a bipartisan infrastructure plan and a larger $3.5 trillion investment in “human infrastructure,” Small Business Majority surveyed its network to understand their views on key issues being considered such as child care and paid family and medical leave. The survey also examined how small businesses are navigating mask and vaccination requirements, as