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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRA-R-16-0036 BackupNEIGHBORS AND NEIGHBORS ASSOCIATION, INC. ("NANA") Overtown Business and Employment Resource Center For the Southeast Overtown/Park West Redevelopment Area I. ORGANIZATIONAL EXPERIENCE NANA has been funded by the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency ("CRA") since 2008. NANA has a wealth of experience in assisting small businesses to realize economic success. NANA's technical assistance includes, but is not limited to, assisting businesses with technical support by offering business training, negotiating with government agencies, pennits, license, code compliance, completing loan and grant applications, landlord/tenant disputes, 40-year building recertification, on -site visits and referrals. NANA's goal to help small businesses and to support economic development initiatives are clearly evident from the nature of the numerous programs administered by NANA. A. MIAMI-DADECOUNTY "MOMAND POP" SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM Examples of the aforementioned can be seen in NANA's administration of Miami -Dade County's "Mom and Pop Small Business Grant Program," in which NANA has created an avenue to access dedicated funding through Miami -Dade County. The "Mom and Pop Small Business Grant Program" was created to provide financial and technical assistance to qualified small businesses that are approved for funding. In tuna, small businesses have been afforded the opportunity to interact with local government under favorable conditions and this relationship has ultimately worked towards bridging the gap between the small business community and local governmental entities. Funding from the "Mom and Pop Small Business Grant Program" can be used to purchase equipment, supplies, advertising/marketing inventory, building liability insurance, security systems and to make minor renovations. NANA helped to develop the grant process for the "Mom and Pop Small Business Grant Program" in order to ensure that funding reach those eligible businesses in need. Participants in the "Mom and Pop. Small Business Grant Program" are afforded technical assistance to help create better working and business environments, promote economic development opportunities, and educate small businesses on the various programs and projects that benefit small businesses, As a result, financial assistance has been made available to over 6,000 small businesses throughout Miami -Dade County. B. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY "MICRO LOAN PROGRAM" As with the "Mom and Pop Small Business Program," NANA, through Tools for Change, Inc. also administers Miarni-Dade County's Micro Loan Program, which provides direct technical assistance to a minimum of 300 small businesses throughout Miami -Dade County in order to assist said businesses in becoming efficient and profitable. Additionally, small businesses are able to access funding through a loan process that considers the economic circumstances of these small businesses. C. CITY OF MIAMI "MICRO ENTERPRISE BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM" NANA administers the City of Miami's Micro Enterprise Business Program, which provides funding, up to $10,000 to low to moderate income business owners located in the City of Miami's District 5. D. SMALL BUSINESS FORMATION WORKSHOP 1 The Small Business Foiniation Workshop provided by NANA offers a thorough overview of all the considerations and components of starting a business. Participants in the workshop learn how to incorporate as a corporate business entity, and what type of corporation status their particular business needs, as well as the various legal entities involved in incorporating. The workshop also offers participants a corporate kit filling. D. Miami- Dade County Employ Miami- Dade Training Program NANA administers the Miami -Dade County Employ Miami -Dade Training Program, which provides vocational and work readiness training classes low income, unemployed, underemployed hard to employ residence who reside within one of the eighteen (18) disadvantages communities throughout Miami Dade County. Participants enrolled in classes who successful complete are eligible to receive a stipends up to $ 1,325. II. BUSINESS INCUBATOR AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: OVERTOWN EMPLOYMENT TRAINING AND REFERRAL PROGRAM: TECHNICAT, ASSISTANCE / PROCUREMENT TRAINING PROGRAM A. REQUEST NANA seeks to continue the provision of assistance to small businesses and to expand its efforts to reach individual residents to help develop job opportunities for said residents. To achieve this, NANA hopes to continue its administration of the Business Incubator and Development Program at the Overtown Business Resource Center, and the Overtown Employment Training and Referral Program. In addition, NANA is seeking to develop and administer the Technical Assistance / Procurement Training Program, which will further enhance the impact of NANA' s efforts in Overtown. The Business Incubator and Development Program will continue to provide office space and direct technical assistance to small businesses with the hope of creating job opportunities for residents. Participants in the Business Incubator and Development Program will benefit from various training exercises and exposure to successful business owners who can act as mentors. The Technical Assistance / Procurement Training Program will help prepare Overtown businesses to effectively compete for governmental contracting opportunities. Participants will be given technical assistance on how to respond to foiival solicitations, develop unsolicited proposals, and how to apply for grant and/or loan programs offered by local governments. The Overtown Employment Training and Referral Program will continue to help to prepare residents throughout the Redevelopment Area to enter into stable, gainful employment by identifying their level of job readiness and providing them with the skills necessary to enter into the workforce. NANA is interested in continuing its administration of Business Incubator and Development Program and implementing the Technical Assistance / Procurement Training Program because the services offered through said Programs complement our organizational goals and objectives of offering direct assistance to small businesses, while also serving to support economic development in the Redevelopment Area. For the Community Workplace Training Program, NANA's long term mission is will be met because NANA is looking to expand beyond providing technical assistance to small businesses and include assisting individuals that reside within the communities we serve. The continuance of this program will enable NANA to provide direct assistance to the participating residents in order to ensure that they have an opportunity to participate in the broader revitalization of the Redevelopment Area. 2 B. DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE 1. BUSINESS INCUBATOR AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM The Business Incubator and Development Program provide incubator space each month to a minimum of five (5) businesses owned within the Redevelopment Area. Services provided through this program include: • Access to various business related workshops and training • Computer use and Wi-Fi access • Access to site visits of successful business enterprises and participation in a business mentoring partnership • Office services, including copies, telephone and facsimile use, and notary services • Access to conference space • Business referrals • Link business to City/County websites (advertising) In an effort to ensure that participating businesses are fully realizing the benefits offered, NANA will monitor businesses that receive incubator space by evaluating the following: • Program participation/completion • Attainment of required licenses/permits • Workshop/training session attendance • Sales/Gross receipts Additionally, invited guest speakers will be participating and offering business insights and opportunities in their respective fields (i.e., Department of Treasury/IRS, Barry University Entrepreneurial Institute, City of Miami Purchasing Department, CareerSource South Florida, Accion USA, Partners for Self - Employment, Service Corp. of Retired Executives (SCORE), Florida Women's Center, Miami -Dade County Department of Procurement Management, etc.) Business participants are generally small businesses located in low to very low income areas and their customer base also falls into the low to very low income category, and whose census tracts with the L/M population is fifty-one percent or more. NANA also intends to leverage benefits afforded to participating businesses under the Incubator and Development Program with the other programs administered by NANA on behalf of the City of Miami and Miami -Dade County. 2. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE / PROCUREMENT TRAINING PROGRAM The Technical Assistance / Procurement Training Program will offer assistance and training to Incubator Residents and other Overtown businesses in the following areas: • Business Plan Preparation • Strategic Planning • Understanding & Satisfying Regulatory Requirements (City, County, State, Professional, etc.) • Identification of Capital Funding Sources • Customer Service • Business Development Planning • Marketing/Advertising/Public Relations • Doing Business with Government • Responding to Formal Procurement Solicitations: 3 o Bids o RFP's/RFA's o RFLI's • Applying for Grants/Loans • Preparation and Submission of Unsolicited Proposals This Technical Assistance will be provided either through workshops conducted by subject matter experts or through one-on-one counseling with program staff. Technical Assistance related to formal procurement solicitations will be offered to individuals/businesses that meet the minimum qualifications for the solicitation(s) they are seeking to respond to and have readily available all required documentation. Technical Assistance related to grants, loans and unsolicited proposals will focus upon assisting business owners to take advantage of the types of programs offered by local governments to assist small businesses (i.e. Micro -Enterprise, Mom & Pop, Micro -Loan, etc.). Business owners will be trained on how to complete applications for such programs and the types of documentation they will need in order to be considered for funding opportunities. They will also receive training on how to prepare and submit unsolicited proposals in order to take advantage of contracting opportunities offered through informal processes. 3. Overtown Business Resource Center Work Readiness Training Program The Overtown Business Resource Center Work Readiness Training Program consist of work readiness training to at least 125 low income, unemployed, underemployed or hard to employ residence living in disadvantaged communities within Overtown Southeast Park West CRA. In the Work Readiness Training people will experience a demanding, rigorous, and caring immersion program utilizing physical, mental, and emotional challenges to facilitate the transition of Jobseekers from street or worldly culture into a program - centered culture of accountability, possibility, and high expectations, rooted in principles related to organizational standards. All work readiness sessions are power packed with motivation, information, teaching and training techniques, and an abundance of inspiration. Our Lead Facilitators specializes in training designed to produce human transfonnation in the adult populations lacking in personal, social, and academic development, who have been historically denied an opportunity to develop a mastery of life skills. The program represents a unique form of socio-cultural training that seeks to develop a positive philosophy of life. Group interaction, with expertise in the proper way of handling people, serves as the cornerstone of its success. Overtown Business Resource Center_Work Readiness Training Program will include the following: • Emphasize and provide jobseekers the basic workplace skills • Assist in developing Jobseekers who are labeled " at risk" the attitudes and skills for enhancing their quality of rational and critical thinking • Prepare jobseekers for work • Provide jobseekers with the necessary pre -employment skills • To instill in Jobseekers a basic understanding and appreciation of different ethnic, racial, cultural and religious backgrounds • To instill standards which encourages Jobseekers to participate in society as responsible law abiding citizens • A minimum of 4 hours of financial literacy training will be provided by OneUnited Bank. • Stipends up to $ 500.00 for jobseekers who successfully complete the Work Readiness training program. 4 C. BUDGET; REPORTING In order to continue the administration of the Business Incubator and Development Program and the Work Readiness Training Program, and commence administration of the Technical Assistance / Procurement Training Program, NANA requests a grant award of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) to be disbursed on a monthly basis over the course of one (1) year. NANA will seek disbursement of the grant funds on a monthly basis, and provide the CRA with status reports of progress made under each of the aforementioned programs. Specifically, said reports will detail the following data: Business Incubator and Development Program: • Participating Businesses (Number, Business Name, Type of Business, Phone Number, Email Address) • Services provided to each business • Tenn of Occupancy of Incubator Space for each business • Workshops attended • Referrals to Other Programs/Opportunities for funding Technical Assistance: • Evaluation of Participating Business to Assess Current Capacity and Goals • Type of Assistance Provided to Each Business • Results of Technical Assistance Provided o Grants/Loans Received by Program Participants o Contracts Awarded to Program Participants o Progress Toward Stated Goals Work Readiness Training Program: • Attendance Sheets • Stipends Expenditure Report • Job Referral Report • Graduation Certificates • Enrollment / Eligibility Tracking Sheet Evaluation: In addition to the monthly reports submitted with invoices, NANA will perform pre and post -program assessments that will track the progress of all businesses and individuals that participate within the Project. These assessments will be submitted to CRA with the final invoice for payment. 5 1 2 3 4 2016 Proposed Budget Description Expenses DIRECT COSTS Busines Incubator and Development P ogra Office Manager Small Business Workshop Facilitator 4- $ Receptionist Work Readiness Training Program Subcontractors (Workshop Facilitators) Participant Stipends (125 participants) Center Operations Sta Office Supplies nsurance (Liability) Communications Permit/License Fees INDIRECT COSTS Program Administration Administration/Management TOTAL PROGRAM COST Sub -Total Sub -Total SubTotalt 40,000.00 40,000.00 27,300.00 2,500.00,L 700.00 I , 45 0 . 00 275.00 50,000.00 $ 265,000.0-6T fifAbA,:gatdmi