Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today named the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) as a recipient of an official Tier 1 national level competitive grant for its nationwide Community Navigator Pilot Program. In making its official announcement this afternoon, the SBA said that USPAACC and seven other organizations will receive the prestigious recognition and accompanying financial award of up to $5 million for two years.
“We are incredibly honored by SBA Administrator Guzman and her team for selecting USPAACC for this historic Program. It is her foresight, vision, commitment, and most important, follow-through that has made this initiative a reality. The SBA hasn’t just talked the talk, they’ve walked the talk. The Asian American community has taken notice and we are grateful.
“Small and diverse businesses are the linchpin of our national economy, and USPAACC is honored to be part of this Program that helps to reduce barriers to entry, retool, upskill, and grow as the community recovers and resurgence gains momentum. This nationwide Program aligns perfectly with USPAACC’s mission of growing small Asian American businesses in all aspects of the U.S. economy.
“Whether it’s through our certification of Asian American and other minority businesses which are 51% owned, controlled, and managed on a day-to-day basis by one or more Asian American or minorities, or our signature thought-leadership programs such as One-on-One Business Matchmaking Meetings, Supplier Diversity & Procurement Leadership Caucus, Federal Contracts Town Halls, Fast 100 Asian American Businesses, Business Executive Coaching, Chief Procurement Officers and CTO/CIO Forums, What’s Your Pitch Innovation Competitions, Corporate Employee Business Resource Group Leadership Caucus, and LiveTALK online video broadcasts, delivering targeted small business outreach and assistance have long been USPAACC’s top priorities.
“Today’s announcement by the SBA will strengthen and support our ongoing work with the SBA,” USPAACC National President and CEO Susan Au Allen concluded.
The Community Navigator Pilot Program is designed to provide high quality technical assistance with pandemic relief programs and recovery services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Recovery services can include financial assistance, access to capital, contracting and procurement assistance, marketing operations, and business development, export, and industry-specific training, among other areas of technical assistance to aid businesses in stabilization and expansion. Programming that focuses on supporting communities where English is a second language and that offers technical assistance in languages other than English is in the equation.
The Program offers funding to nonprofits, state and local governments, universities, and tribal entities to partner with the SBA at the center of a hub and spoke network. The hubs support spoke organizations – trusted, culturally knowledgeable local groups and individual community leaders – who will connect to specific sectors of the entrepreneurial community to provide assistance during economic recovery.
USPAACC will work cooperatively with its “Spoke” partners in California, Texas, Georgia, New York/New Jersey, and Illinois, respectively, to fulfill the mission and goals of the SBA’s Community Navigator Pilot Program.
Through SBA’s initiative, there are 51 grantees broken into the following tiers:
More details on the SBA’s Community Navigator Pilot Program are available at: https://www.sba.gov/partners/counselors/community-navigator-pilot-program
Press Release by SBA at:
https://www.sba.gov/article/2021/oct/28/sba-administrator-guzman-biden-harris-administration-announce-community-navigator-pilot-program
Press Conference on October 28, 2021:
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Founded in 1984 in the nation’s Capital, the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) is the most established and effective national nonprofit nonpartisan organization representing all Asian American and Asian American-related groups in business, sciences, the arts, sports, education, public and community services. Our mission is to promote and propel economic growth and job creation by opening doors to business and professional opportunities for Asian Americans and their partners in corporations, government at the federal, state and local levels, and the small, minority and diverse business communities. For 35 years, USPAACC has served and will continue to serve as the unified voice for equal opportunity in business for Asian Americans, as the gateway to corporate and government contracts, to Asian American suppliers, and information about Asian Americans and the Asia-Pacific and Indian Subcontinent markets.
Our signature annual thought-leadership programs include: College Hallmark Scholarship Program that began in 1989, One-on-One Prescheduled Business Matchmaking Meetings in 1998, Supplier Diversity & Procurement Leadership Caucus in 2004, Federal Contracting Town Hall Meetings in 2005, Fast 100 Asian American Businesses in 2008, Business Executive Coaching: ReadySetGrow in 2011, Chief Procurement Officers Forum in 2011, What’s Your Pitch Innovation Competitions in 2015, Chief Technology & Information Officers Forum in 2017, and Corporate Employee Business Resource Group Leadership Caucus in 2017.
Headquartered in Washington DC, USPAACC reaches Asian American businesses nationwide through regional chapters in California, Texas, New York, Georgia, Illinois and the Washington DC-Maryland-Virginia National Capital Area.
Susan Au Allen, the National President and CEO of US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC), has been named by DiversityPlus Magazine as one of the Top Change Leaders of 2024.According to a statement released by the publication, the annual Top 25 Diversity Change Leaders roster recognizes “exceptional leaders who have made significant contributions to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within their organizations and communities.”
WASHINGTON (May 30, 2024)—Today the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) awarded 15 corporations with its second annual Supplier Diversity Champions Award.
The US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) presents CelebrASIAN 2024 Procurement + Business Conference, the largest and longest-running business development conference for Pan Asian Americans.
