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Senate committee hears $1.5 million request to expand services for Asian Minnesotan entrepreneurs
Summary
Senate File 15-14 would provide $1.5 million in one-time state funding to the Coalition of Asian American Leaders for grants, technical assistance and translation services aimed at Asian Minnesotan entrepreneurs, with committee members asking for details on prior $200,000 appropriation use and the program's reach.
Senate File 15-14, introduced in the Senate Committee on Jobs and Economic Development on Feb. 24, would appropriate $1,500,000 in one-time funding to the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) to expand microgrants, training and technical assistance for Asian Minnesotan entrepreneurs.
The bill’s author, identified in the hearing as Senator Pappell, said the funding would scale a program launched last year with a $200,000 state investment and would support “network development and direct financial assistance for Asian Minnesotan women entrepreneurs, and Asian-owned businesses in Minnesota.” Chair Champion presided over the hearing.
Why it matters: Committee members said they support targeted small-business assistance but pressed CAAL staff for detail on how the $200,000 appropriation from last year was being spent and what the larger request would fund. Fiscal staff told the committee the $200,000 was appropriated in fiscal year 2025 and made available through June 30, 2026.
CAAL’s executive network director, Tommy Hyung, told the committee that Asian Americans make up 6.5% of Minnesota’s population and that more than 20 languages are spoken within the community. “In 2020, CAAL launched the Stronger Together Fund,” Hyung said, and that microgrant program’s applicants and recipients were predominantly Asian American women. Hyung said many applicants face language, banking and documentation barriers that limit access to financing and that CAAL’s work includes microgrants, interpretation and help with financial documentation.
Business owner Laura Bowler of Laura B Beauty LLC described receiving a microgrant and technical assistance that helped her buy makeup supplies, attend trade events and expand her service offerings. “Calla support gave me foundational knowledge about running a business,” Bowler said.
Committee questions focused on the unused status of the $200,000 appropriation. CAAL representatives said the organization has been conducting substantial front-end technical assistance and outreach to ensure applicants are eligible and can complete applications; as a result, they reported the $200,000 had not yet been regranted but that $90,000 would be used for regranting and the remainder for administration, interpreters, consultants and workshops. CAAL told the committee it intends to award six $15,000 grants from that funding once contract and administrative work is complete.
Senators asked for estimates of program reach if the $1.5 million were approved. CAAL estimated that cohorts would require multiple language interpreters and that grantee organizations would participate in a series of four cohort workshops. Senator Pappell told the committee that, as of the hearing, CAAL had received roughly 121 applicants for the current round and that only six grants were currently planned from the existing appropriation.
The committee laid Senate File 15-14 on the table for possible inclusion in the committee’s omnibus bill.
What’s next: The bill was laid over for possible inclusion; no formal vote was recorded at the hearing.
