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Miami Open for Business News | March 2024

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Dear Open for Business subscriber,

Women's History Month is coming to a close, but we're inspired by the incredible contributions and achievements of women nonprofit and small business leaders in Miami. Last month, we spoke with three amazing women leaders and recipients of OFB funding: Ultrina Harris of Suite 110 Urbanwear, Tamara Taitt of Magnolia Birthhouse, and Sommer Curry of Designs By Curry. If you missed their stories, please click here to read more.

In this newsletter, we share the recordings from our recent Technology & Equipment Microgrant info sessions co-hosted with Axis Helps, information about our upcoming events and Microgrant application parties, and additional funding opportunities from some of our partners.

On the horizon, we're thrilled to announce our call to action for any prior Open for Business funding recipients to participate in our upcoming photo gallery project. This is an incredible opportunity to showcase your journey of acquiring and deploying assets supported by OFB grants and loans.

Brenda Morrison

Open for Business Associate, The Miami Foundation

2024 OFB Program Changes

Every year, we make program adjustments based on your feedback. Below is a summary of key changes to improve the program.

Microgrant for Technology and Equipment

● Web Application: You can now preview the application sections by clicking on a section header to skip ahead.

● New Eligibility Categories: In addition to current criteria, you are also eligible if you are: Refugee, Middle Eastern or North African, and Native or Indigenous.

● New Priority Neighborhoods: Organizations in Goulds, Hialeah, Little Havana, South Miami Heights receive a few extra points during scoring.

● Combine Tech + Equipment: Can include both technology and equipment in your funding request.

Asset Building Loan Fund

● You can now request different loan size amounts for our ABLE Loan Fund product. We now offer Loans up to $10K, $25K and $100,000. Loans under $10K and $25K will require less financial documentation.

Collective Real Estate Ownership

● New Communities: CREO properties may be in one of the above 4 communities.

● New Application Requirements: Applicants must submit a monthly pro forma and draft operating agreement to better prepare for securing financing.

Recap of Axis Helps Microgrant Info Sessions

The third and final round of the Microgrant for Technology and Equipment will be open until May 31^st, 2024.

The Microgrant provides funding to purchase hardware, software, and machinery assets to grow their business.

To provide applicants with more information, we hosted an info session in English and Spanish.

To watch the recap and access the slides, visit please click this link.

Click Here to Watch the Recordings of our Microgrant Info Sessions!

Upcoming In-Person Microgrant Application Parties

Join our Technical Assistance Providers, Branches, Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, and Prospera for our North Dade Application Party.

●Date: Wednesday, April 3rd

●Location: 2455 NW 183rd St, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

●Time: 11am-1pm

Join our Technical Assistance Providers, Allapattah CDC, Opportunity Connect, Prospera , and 79^th Street Corridor for our Central Dade Application Party .

●Date: Wednesday, April 10th

●Location: 1951 NW 7th Ave Ste 300, Miami, FL 33136

● Time: 1-3pm

Join our Technical Assistance Provider South Dade Connections for our South Dade Application Party .

●Date: Tuesday, April 16th

●Location: 1500 College Ter, Homestead, FL 33030

● Time: 2-4pm

If you haven’t already taken advantage of technical assistance, we have a network of business support organizations waiting to support your business in applying for funding, organizing your bookkeeping and accounting, improve your online marketing presence, and more.

If you live in a priority OFB neighborhood, you can work with a specific provider. Small businesses anywhere else in Miami-Dade County are encouraged to work with FSMSDC. Nonprofit organizations have access to free capacity-building workshops and consultants through Radical Partners.

Connect with our TA Providers!

OFB Photo Gallery Call to Action

We have awarded over 230 organizations a Technology and Equipment Microgrant which has totaled out to $2.4 million . We‘ve also awarded $4.6 million in real estate assistance and $2.5 million in asset-building low-interest loans. These numbers emphasize the need for this funding, but there is a larger impact we would like to highlight through our program. We will be launching an exciting tool that will showcase and document the true impact of businesses and nonprofits through Miami, acquiring assets that have been transformational for their organizations and the community at large made possible through OFB funding.

This exciting opportunity is our Open For Business Photo Gallery! In this gallery, OFB Grantees are encouraged to showcase a photo of the asset they have acquired and share a brief caption about its impact on their nonprofit or business in an online photo gallery. This gallery will be hosted on the OFB website! This is a living, growing gallery of photos that showcases OFB awardees across Miami.

Disclaimer: if you have not received OFB funding, please do not submit a photo for this project.

If You Received OFB Funding in a Prior Round, Please Participate in our Photo Gallery Project!

Other Small Business Grant Opportunities

If your business is not eligible for Open for Business, we encourage you to explore other grant funding and TA opportunities. Additionally, we encourage business owners to visit AxisHelps.org and register for their newsletter to receive updates.

Mom and Pop Grants

Miami-Dade County’s Mom and Pop grant program is officially open for the district listed below. See deadlines based on district location below.

District 3 - Deadline to apply April 1
District 11 - Deadline to apply March 29

Apply for Mom and Pop Grants Today!

MBDA Capital Readiness Program

The Florida Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is now accepting intake forms for business owners who are interested in participating in their Capital Readiness Program. The purpose of the program is to help minority and other underserved entrepreneurs with building skills to launch or scale existing businesses, increase access to capital and other governmental programs that support small businesses, and secure other forms of capital.

Click Here For More Information About the MDA Capital Readiness Program!

Miami Dade County Small Business Resource Guide

The Miami-Dade County Office of Innovation and Economic Development has created a newly developed Business Resource Guide. The guide was designed to support and nurture local businesses within our community, and it provides a wealth of information to help businesses navigate challenges. The guide covers a range of topics, including regulatory guidelines, an overview of the County’s procurement process, tax information, and disaster preparedness.

Check Out the Miami Dade County Small Business Resource Guide Today!

Mark Your Calendar (OFB - Related Events)

April 3 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: North Dade Microgrant Application Party (2455 NW 183^rd St. Miami Gardens, FL, 33056)

April 3 from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: CREO Info Session with South Dade Connections (500 College Terrace, Building C 3rd Floor Homestead,FL 33030 )

April 5 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.: BizGap Lenders Roundtable (101 West Flager Street Miami, FL, 33130)

April 6 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: The Overtown 1896 Marketplace (1000 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33136)

April 10 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.: Central Dade Microgrant Application Party (1951 NW 7th Ave Ste 300, Miami, FL 33136)

April 15: Final deadline for Collective Real Estate Ownership (CREO)

April 16 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.: South Dade Microgrant Application Party (500 College Ter, Homestead, FL 33030)

April 25 from 9:00 –10:30 a.m.: Non-profit Microgrant Application Party by Radical Partners (Zoom)

April 25 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.: FPL’s BE PowerFL Powering Florida’s Black Businesses Webinar: "Securing the Bag"

April 25 – 27: HACCOF Business and Healthcare Innovation Summit

April 26 from 10:00.a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Business Growth and Acceleration Program (BizGap) Resource Fair (3443 Segovia Street Coral Gables, FL 33134)

May 9 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.: For-profit Hybrid Microgrant Application Party (3000 Biscayne Blvd #215, Miami, FL 33137)

May 31: Final deadline for Microgrant for Technology and Equipment

Mark Your Calendar (Related Community Events)

Strive 305 Huddle from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.: Every Friday Morning on Zoom

March 29 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.: BizGap Start Up, Start Right – By FIU BizGap (Zoom)

April 1 from 6:00 – 7:30p.m.: Score Simple Steps for Starting a Business: Revenue and Profit Projections (Zoom)

April 2 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: USDOT's Bonded Education Program's Empowered: Bonded For Success Workshop by the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council (9499 NE 2nd Ave - Suite 201, Miami FL 33138)

April 2 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.: [Vendor Academy] Doing Business with Miami-Dade County by Miami Dade County (Zoom)

April 3 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.: Risk Management For Your Small Business by BizGap (Zoom)

April 11 from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.: Quickbooks Training by the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council (Zoom)

April 15 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.: Organizational Types and Other Considerations for a Small Business by BizGap (Zoom)

April 22 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.: Planning For Healthy Business Webinar by FIU BizGap (Zoom)

May 22 – 23: The Florida Minority Supplier Development Council Minority Business Conference (3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd, Davie, FL 33314)

More event dates to be announced in our upcoming newsletter!