Small Business

While the Paycheck Protection Program was intended to help small businesses hit hardest by COVID-19, it failed to deliver on its promise.

Richenda Van Leeuwen joined the Aspen Institute as Executive Director of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) in September. She is an ambassador for equitable and inclusive economic development and brings a breadth of knowledge and experience to leading the work of ANDE—a global network that supports the success of small and growing businesses (SGBs) around the world. She spoke with the Institute’s President and CEO, Dan Porterfield, about the importance of ANDE’s work and the impact of investing in SGBs as a method of changemaking.

Businesses owned by people of color tend to be in less profitable industries because of the effects of systemic inequality and racism.

There’s no equivalent for Fannie Mae when it comes to microloans — until now.

CDFIs have shown that they can provide a financial lifeline to Black, Hispanic, and female business owners who have been neglected by mainstream banks.

The Aspen Institute and the Microfinance Impact Collaborative announced the creation of the Entrepreneur Backed Assets (EBA) Fund, which will provide critical support to community-based microlenders.

SFEOCF seeks to create a more accessible and seamless continuum of capital and services for entrepreneurs of color in San Francisco.

If we want to reach entrepreneurs of color, we need to ensure that programs and products run through the institutions that serve them.

A new report from the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) sheds new light on trends in the SGB sector from 2019 in terms of investment, donor support, and capacity building for entrepreneurs around the world.