UPDATE: The formerly hybrid event will now be completely virtual and released on Facebook and YouTube on March 22 at 4:15PM EST.

Mark your calendars for March 22—Community Conversation: Local Resources for Small Businesses & Nonprofits.

CT Latino News is hosting the informational event in partnership with the CT Small Business Boost Fund on public financial and technical resources for small businesses and nonprofits across Connecticut.

The virtual event will be available on Facebook @CT Latino News and YouTube @LatinoNewsNetwork2557.

Small businesses and nonprofits across Connecticut continue to be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, three years after its arrival. Although a few federal programs have been available to CT organizations, those in underserved communities typically have more difficulty accessing these services. 

In CT, Hispanics make up 15.6 percent of the state’s workforce but only nine percent owned businesses, according to a 2021 report by the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. 

This event—moderated by CTLN Writer/Editor Belen Dumont—will cover a variety of local resources that look to be more user-friendly and specifically support organizations in underserved communities.

One resource includes the CT Small Business Boost Fund, which is “specifically geared to provide low-interest financing to businesses with the emphasis on small businesses throughout Connecticut,” Earl Randall of Capital for Change told CTLN.

“The general gist is to provide funding to businesses, quite frankly, that have not had the opportunity to take advantage of some of the federal programs,” Randall said. 

View the event on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/qRrwYbgGECo

Access the Statewide Resources for CT Small Businesses Presentation below: http://bit.ly/3FMrPqa