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Marin’s microenterprise pilot reports high completion and seeks $267,000 for startup grants
Summary
An Office of Equity pilot reached 248 participants, with over 90% cohort completion rates and 75 people receiving 1:1 advising; staff proposed using $267,000 in remaining Race Equity Action Plan funds to seed micro‑business grants for program graduates.
Marin County’s Office of Equity told the Board of Supervisors on May 5 that its first‑year Microenterprise Support Program (MSP) has engaged hundreds of small entrepreneurs — and asked the board to approve moving remaining funds into a startup grant program.
Director Jamila Jordan and project manager Gary Besser said the MSP, funded with a $250,000 two‑year pilot from the Race Equity Action Plan, used trusted community partners and the Small Business Development Center to deliver culturally tailored cohorts in Canal and West Marin. Besser reported 248 participants engaged with MSP activities and 75 participants received one‑on‑one advising; completion rates for full cohorts exceeded 90 percent. “This program is working,” Jordan told the board.
Staff recommended allocating the remaining $267,000 in REAP economic opportunity funds to a new micro‑business economic opportunity grant program to help graduates buy equipment, obtain licenses, or finish credentialing. Presenters said roughly 65–70 percent of participants are opening women‑led businesses, and many are first‑ or second‑generation immigrants. They also flagged barriers: limited commercial kitchen access, technology and digital literacy gaps, and federal immigration rules that can restrict some entrepreneurs’ ability to obtain tax IDs or business licenses.
Supervisors praised the results and asked that future reports include more granular budget detail showing revenues and expenses tied to franchise or program fees. Board members also urged staff to consider how procurement changes and an inventory of microenterprise vendors might increase county spending with local businesses.
The board accepted the MSP report and staff said they would return later in the year with details of a proposed micro‑business grant program and an evaluation plan for cohort two.
