The Employment Training Panel and the Labor Workforce Development Agency is excited to announce the availability of up to $1M in California General Fund dollars for the New Grant Funding Opportunity – Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) 2.5 Grant.
Donor Name: Employment Training Panel
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/25/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The purpose of SEED 2.5 is to support the entrepreneurship of immigrants and Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals who face significant employment barriers. The SEED 2.5 grant will provide micro-grants, entrepreneurial training, and technical assistance to SEED target populations to support them in starting or maintaining a small business in California aimed at addressing a social problem or meeting a community need.
SEED target populations are individuals who face significant barriers to employment, specifically: (1) individuals with limited English proficiency, regardless of immigration or citizenship status; or (2) individuals who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents. This includes individuals who may not be lawfully present in the United States, and individuals who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS). In addition, SEED is open to all individuals in the target populations, including other immigrants, refugees and asylees, and United States citizens.
Goals
The goals and approach of the SEED Initiative are premised upon the following:
- Public Policy Goals: The SEED Initiative is rooted in two fundamental public policy goals. First, its objective is to serve vulnerable communities facing significant barriers to employment by providing them with entrepreneurial opportunities. Second, by promoting entrepreneurship of individuals who may be precluded (because of legal impediments or otherwise) from obtaining gainful employment, SEED supports pathways to economic self-sufficiency and increased economic contributions to the state and local economies.
- Nonprofit CBOs with Expertise in Serving SEED Target Populations: Implementation of the SEED Initiative will be strengthened through partnering with and providing grants to nonprofit CBOs that have expertise and track records of serving SEED target populations in culturally and linguistically effective ways. The role of CBO grantees will be to provide micro-grants, entrepreneurial training, and technical assistance to SEED target populations, and to conduct community outreach on SEED.
- Supplement and Align with Broader Workforce System: The intent of the SEED Initiative is to supplement and be aligned with the broader workforce and education system in California. The SEED Initiative is not intended to duplicate or replicate existing programs, but rather to provide supplemental funding, services, and support to ensure the entrepreneurial success and economic self-sufficiency and mobility of SEED target populations with a framework that promotes equity and inclusion.
- Equity, Inclusion, and Social Responsibility: In advancing the economic mobility of SEED target populations through entrepreneurial opportunities implemented by nonprofit CBOs with cultural and linguistic competency, the SEED Initiative seeks to promote equity and inclusion, including racial, gender, and geographic equity. The SEED Initiative will also support business innovation that is socially responsible, effective, and sustainable, and that creates pathways to economic mobility and selfsufficiency, including high road employment and non-traditional business models or enterprises such as worker-owned cooperatives.
Funding Information
- Cap on grant amount: There is a $200,000 cap on the grant amount. Any proposals requesting over $200,000 will not be considered.
- Micro-grant allocation ($750,000): Of the total of $1,000,000 available for SEED Entrepreneurship Program grants, 75% of these funds – approximately $750,000 – will be allocated for micro-grants to be disbursed to individuals in SEED target populations who complete the SEED entrepreneurial training and are awarded micro-grants through an application process.
- Program implementation allocation ($250,000): Of the total of $1,000,000 available for SEED Entrepreneurship Program grants, 25% of these funds – approximately $250,000 – will be allocated for CBO grantees to implement all the program components supporting the micro-grants: SEED entrepreneurial training development and implementation, community outreach, selection of micro-grant awardees, disbursement of micro-grants (e.g., staffing to implement disbursement), and provision of technical assistance to micro-grant awardees.
Eligibility Criteria
- Only New SEED CBOs May Apply: Due to the limited availability of funds (approximately $1,000,000) this SEED Entrepreneurship Program grant isn’t available to CBOs who previously held a SEED1 or SEED2 contract. Repeat CBOs are eligible to be listed as a joint applicant but not as the primary contract holder.
- Only Nonprofit CBOs May Apply for SEED: As authorized by the California Legislature and reflected in Section 14108 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code, the SEED Initiative will be administered through nonprofit CBOs that will develop and implement SEED program components. To be eligible to apply for a SEED grant, the CBO must be a 501(c)(3) or a fiscally sponsored program of a 501(c)(3).
- Single CBO May Submit a Proposal: A single CBO may submit a proposal as long as it proposes to implement all the components of that grant program.
- Joint Proposals: Joint proposals involving more than one nonprofit CBO will also be accepted and are strongly encouraged. This is in recognition that the SEED Initiative program framework is composed of multiple components that may require and could be enhanced by collaborative efforts of several CBOs that bring diverse strengths and expertise, and that enable geographic and linguistic diversity in the SEED target populations that would be served by the CBOs.
For more information, visit Employment Training Panel.
