Representing Minority & Woman-Owned Businesses: Help Your Small Business Clients Equitably Access Credit and Hear Lessons Learned from SBA Pandemic Relief Programs That Are Being Integrated into Sba'S Traditional Loan Products

Equitable access to capital has never been more important than now. Minority and woman-owned businesses have disproportionately been affected by the economic disruption caused by the pandemic. Drawing from experienced practitioners in the field, this seminar teaches you how to help your clients navigate these challenging times. A senior official from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) speaks about the variety of resources and programs geared towards starting and growing a successful minority and woman-owned small business. By knowing where and how to access key resources, you can give your clients a leg-up on succeeding in this competitive business landscape.

Learn about key SBA pandemic programs from Therese Meers, Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access at the SBA. She assists the SBA in delivering capital resources with a focus on equity and accessibility to those businesses that are unable to access traditional credit. Hear her explain the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on minority and woman-owned small businesses in Massachusetts. In outlining the federal government’s response, she describes the emergency COVID-19 relief programs administered by the SBA including: the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). In looking to the future, Ms. Meers analyzes the lessons learned from these pandemic relief programs. She explains how those lessons are now being integrated into SBA’s traditional loan products, such as the agency’s flagship 7(a) lending program, Community Advantage pilot, and Lender Match tool, to continue to reach underserved minority and woman-owned small businesses and improve the SBA user experience. Learn how these SBA programs can help your clients.