Resource center
Lessons Learned from Small Business Pandemic Relief
Anti-monopoly
WHY MAIN STREET ALLIANCE IS FIGHTING BACK AGAINST MONOPOLY POWER
September 2023 | In industry after industry, corporate concentration is growing, and competition is declining to dangerously low levels. That’s why Main Street Alliance’s small business owners are fighting back across the country against the rise of monopoly power and standing up for the fairer, kinder, community-rooted capitalism we deserve.
Reining in monopoly power
March 2022 | Monopoly power is a top concern for the small business owners of Main Street Alliance (MSA). MSA surveyed over 100 of our top leaders to explore this issue further. Overwhelmingly, anti-monopoly was one of the top issues. We wanted to know how monopolies have affected small businesses, especially tech giants like Amazon and Facebook. We also wanted to hear your experiences to understand what’s needed to build a small business movement to fight consolidated corporate power.
Regulations
The Role of Government: A Small Business Perspective
Fall 2020 | Small business owners want effective, equitable government support for a thriving small business sector. This fact defies much of the conventional wisdom – and conservative rhetoric – about small business, but it is consistent with the preferences and day-to-day reality of real small business owners across geography, race, gender, and even political affiliation. These preferences are made clear in a Main Street Alliance-commissioned poll of 600 small business owners conducted in September 2020..
Small Business, Common Sense Standards & Forced Arbitration
March 2021 | Now more than ever, small businesses need a foundation of public policy that recognizes the value of Main Street businesses to workers, families, and communities. This policy foundation includes consistent, common-sense workplace standards — including health and safety rules, wage floors, and anti-discrimination protections — that level the playing field for responsible business owners, help small businesses attract and retain talented employees, and sustain a thriving economy.
Capital Access
Child Care
OPENING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ACCESS TO CAPITAL
October 2023 | True small businesses are sole proprietorships with less than 50 employees. Today, America’s true small business economy faces access to capital crisis. In one 2023 survey, more than three-quarters of small business owners reported concern about their ability to access capital. Main Street Alliance is fighting for access to capital for small business owners across the country—because we all win with the right investments.
REENTRY SMALL BUSINESS BARRIERS: CAPITAL ACCESS CONCEPT BRIEF
August 2023 | Reentry entrepreneurs and employers play an integral part in the circular economy and are frequently underrepresented. Small business owners, regardless of their background, face significant challenges. However, these challenges are notably heightened for reentry small business owners with criminal histories.
WHY THE CHILDCARE CRISIS IS A SMALL BUSINESS ISSUE
Winter 2023 | America’s childcare system is in crisis as longstanding structural problems coincide with the end of pandemic-era funding. Main Street Alliance is fighting for the robust, affordable, sustainable childcare system our small business—and our country—need to thrive.
POLICY BRIEF: CHAMPIONING ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR BLACK FARMERS
September 2023 | Main Street Alliance (MSA) is committed to addressing the systemic barriers Black farmers encounter to create a more equitable and just agricultural industry; as Black farmers support the rural main street economy. Working alongside farmers, MSA will advocate for policies to ensure timely access to credit and capital access, resources, and land to improve conditions for Black farmers and the communities they serve.
Getting up to speed: Access to Capital
August 2022 | Access to capital has generally been more difficult for women and Black and Latinx people seeking assistance to finance their small businesses. To uncover root cause analysis, MSA spotlighted two cities – Newark, New Jersey, and Norfolk, Virginia – that have significant Black small business ownership to gain more insight from our members and understand the challenges they are facing.
Paid Leave
NOW MORE THAN EVER: SUPPORT MAIN STREET, PASS PAID FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE
2021 | The Families First Coronavirus Response Act’s (FFCRA) pandemic-related paid leave reimbursable tax credits are an important component of small business COVID-19 relief. Federal lawmakers must also prioritize creating a robust permanent paid family and medical leave program, like the FAMILY Act. This will strengthen Main Street in all our communities – rural, urban, and suburban; white, Black, and brown – across the country.
VOICES OF MAIN STREET Paid Family & Medical Leave Stories from Small Business Owners
Summer 2019 | Healthy families are part of our bottom line for Main Street businesses. There’s more to life than work. Small business owners and our employees alike all need to take time away from work when a loved one is sick, or we have health problems. That’s a real financial struggle for all of us – and it shouldn’t be.
EARNED SICK AND SAFE TIME
March 2020 | Main Street business owners know that an investment in our employees is an investment in our business. By providing the opportunity for our employees to earn paid sick days, similar to how they earn a wage, we know that we’re helping to keep our staff happy and healthy. A happy and healthy workforce is critical to all business success—regardless of size. We believe that if we take care of our employees, they will take care of us, and our businesses will thr
HOW MAIN STREET ALLIANCE FIGHTS FOR—AND WINS—PAID LEAVE
2023 | Since its founding, Main Street Alliance has been at the forefront of the fight for paid family and medical leave. Main Street Alliance recognizes the transformational impact state and national investment in a paid leave system could have for small business owners, their businesses, and their employees. In 2023, an innovative and strategic coalition won paid family and medical leave in Minnesota, with Main Street Alliance bringing the true small business voice to this critical debate. The Minnesota victory offers important lessons learned for the fights to come.
Annual Report
2022 Impact Report
2023 Impact Report
Archive
Small Business COVID Resources
View from Main Street: Candidate Briefing Book (2020)
Voices of Main Street: Health Care (2019)
Small Business for Paid Leave: Stories from Main Street
Small Business Toolkit: Paid Leave (2019)
Report: Child Care (2019)
Report: The Small Business Case for Paid Family and Medical Leave (2018)
Report: The Harmful Effects of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (2018)
Proposal for Small Business Success: Paid Family and Medical Leave (2017)
State-based Reports and Storybooks
Nevada Earned Sick and Safe Time: A Guide for Small Businesses, 2019
Virginia Paid Family and Medical Leave Stories from Small Business Owners, 2020
Maine Paid Sick Time: A Guide for Small Businesses, 2019
Oregon Small Business Paid Family and Medical Leave Report, 2019
Michigan Earned Sick and Safe Time Report, 2018
Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave Stories from Small Businesses, 2019
