The Employment Training Panel is seeking applications for its Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development 3 Grant.
Donor Name: Employment Training Panel
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/26/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The purpose of the SEED Initiative is to support the entrepreneurship of immigrants and limited English proficient (LEP) individuals who face significant employment barriers, which will also increase the state’s economic diversity and help spur business innovation. The SEED Initiative 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.
A proposal for SEED Entrepreneurship Program funding must include all five of the following SEED program components:
- Entrepreneurial training development and implementation
- Community outreach
- Selection of micro-grant awardees
- Disbursement of micro-grants
- Provision of technical assistance.
Goals
The goals and approach of the SEED Initiative are premised upon the following:
- Public Policy Goals
- Nonprofit CBOs with Expertise in Serving SEED Target Populations
- Supplement and Align with Broader Workforce System
- Equity, Inclusion, and Social Responsibility.
Target Populations
SEED target populations are individuals who face significant impediments to employment, specifically:
- Individuals with limited English proficiency, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.
- Individuals who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents.
- Individuals who may not be lawfully present in the United States.
- Individuals who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Funding Information
Of the $6,750,000 available for SEED Initiative implementation, the distribution per grant program will be as follows (in approximate figures):
- $5,250,000 for the SEED Entrepreneurship Program
- $1,500,000 for the SEED Worker Cooperative and Employee Ownership Program.
Uses of Funds
Allowable program expenses are those relating to the implementation of the program components supporting the micro-grants. Each CBO applicant must describe the staffing and other costs, direct and indirect, associated with implementing these program components, subject to the following:
- Seventy-five percent (75%) of the CBO applicant’s total grant award request must be allocated toward micro-grants. No program expenses (direct or indirect) can be included as part of the 75% grant allocation for micro-grants, which must be a separate budget line item.
- Twenty-five percent (25%) of the CBO applicant’s total grant award request must be sufficient to cover all costs (direct and indirect) of program implementation (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).
- The maximum percentage of indirect costs allowed will be six percent (6%) of the CBO applicant’s total grant award request.
Eligibility Criteria
- 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, a CBO must be a 501(c)(3) or a fiscally sponsored program of a 501(c)(3).
- Single CBO Proposal: For either grant program (Entrepreneurship Program; Worker Cooperatives and Employee Ownership Program), a single CBO may submit a proposal if it proposes implementing all the components of that grant program.
- Joint CBO Proposal: Joint proposals involving more than one nonprofit CBO will also be accepted. 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 ETP.
