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State microenterprise group urges commissioners to promote Evergreen Biz Link to help tiny businesses access services and grants
Summary
Lisa Smith of the Washington State Microenterprise Association described Evergreen Biz Link, a statewide navigator that connects under‑5‑employee businesses to nonprofit partners for training, technical assistance and microgrants; she said the program reached 5,700 businesses last year and sought commission help to expand outreach and pilot capacity‑building with King County.
Lisa Smith, representing the Washington State Microenterprise Association, told commissioners that Evergreen Biz Link is a statewide online navigator designed to connect the state's smallest businesses with nonprofit partners, training and small‑grant opportunities.
"There are 400,000 tiny companies in Washington state," Smith said, urging commissioners to place Evergreen Biz Link on commission websites and in newsletters so entrepreneurs can find local nonprofit partners and technical assistance. She said the association funded $2,000,000 last year to 46 nonprofits, which reached about 5,700 businesses; Smith added that 58 percent of served entrepreneurs were BIPOC and that 200 of those businesses accessed roughly $2,700,000 in microloans and grants.
Commissioners immediately asked whether the program prepares organizations to do compliant contracting with government. Michael Bailey, who identified himself as Michael Bailey, asked whether the initiative included readiness training so small nonprofits could perform under government contracts and have appropriate financial controls.
Smith said Evergreen Biz Link does not contract directly with businesses but works through vetted nonprofit partners—Small Business Development Centers, women's business centers and others—that provide intensive, hands‑on technical assistance and help companies prepare for contracting opportunities. "We monitor every single match so that we know those businesses are actually being served by the nonprofit that they've reached out to," she said, adding that the association requires partners to provide capacity building before a nonprofit is eligible for grant funds.
A representative from King County's Department of Community and Human Services responded that the county has technical capacity‑building resources and would welcome collaboration. The county official said the county procures hundreds of contracts across providers and seeks partners to increase provider readiness.
Smith invited the commission to pilot trainings and to help publicize the platform. "If you want this link on your website, we'd love to partner and bring in any resources we can," she said.
The presentation highlighted the combination of training, grantmaking and a searchable directory as Evergreen Biz Link's core services and closed with an offer to share contact information and follow up on partnerships.
Next steps: commissioners and county staff volunteered to share contacts and consider pilot workshops; Smith said she would post the platform link and provide materials for commissioners to distribute.
