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Santa Fe rolls out ARPA-funded Small Business Navigator to connect local firms to resources
Summary
City economic development leaders told the Quality of Life Committee the Small Business Navigator, funded by ARPA, has reached 121 local businesses, made 370 referrals and offers no-cost, bilingual one-on-one services and targeted grants to help Main Street and solopreneur firms grow.
Joanna Nelson, director of Santa Fe’s Office of Economic Development, presented the Small Business Navigator program to the Quality of Life Committee, saying the ARPA-funded initiative is a hub to connect early-stage and established local firms with partners and services.
"This navigator program helps our businesses address some of the bigger challenges they face every day," Nelson said, noting the effort is intended to simplify access to existing regional resources and to provide individualized coaching.
Caroline Lee, the program’s navigator, told the committee the program uses a hub-and-spoke model with core partners that include the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University, Santa Fe Business Incubator, regional consulting partners and a directory of some 95 resource partners that provide workshops, referrals and technical assistance. "Every business gets a one-on-one consultation with me," Lee said. "When someone comes to the navigator, I usually have at least five referrals lined up for them."
City data presented to the committee show 121 distinct business owners have come through the navigator as of the end of May, with 43 added in the most recent quarter (a roughly 55% quarter-over-quarter increase). The program reported 370 outgoing referrals and 29 targeted workshops to date. Lee said about six new businesses are entering the program each week and roughly four to five previous clients return for follow-ups weekly. She added that 92% of clients remain in ongoing contact with the program.
The presentation described client types as largely Main Street businesses and solopreneurs; Lee said more than half of clients are women and over a third are minority-owned. Staff emphasized bilingual intake and services, and noted a set of sponsored supports: 22 navigator clients have received up to $15,000 in direct assistance to address accounting, marketing and other barrier-removal needs.
Lee also outlined two related grant pools promoted through the navigator: Spur grants ($150,000 total, with awards up to $20,000) and SAFE grants ($230,000 total) intended for crime-mitigation or preventive measures. At the time of the presentation Lee said 73 Spur applications were open and 14 had been submitted in the first two weeks of the program’s application window.
In committee questions, Nelson confirmed the program is currently 100% ARPA-funded and that the federal obligation on that funding ends in December; she said the city budget includes funds to continue the program and staff are pursuing partner and alternative funding to extend operations. Lee said core navigation services and most workshops are offered at no cost to participants, with only a small number of events charging nominal fees.
The city said the Small Business Navigator aims to reduce friction for business owners seeking help—from ideation to staffing and exit planning—and to strengthen linkages among nonprofit and public-sector partners. Staff asked the council to continue promoting navigator services and to support follow-up funding conversations as ARPA obligations wind down.
The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; staff invited council members to refer business owners and to attend upcoming navigator events.
