Vermont Community Navigator
Pilot Program
As part of a national initiative introduced by President Biden and Vice President Harris, Main Street Alliance is thrilled to partner with Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) as they begin to engage in the Small Business Administration’s Community Navigator Pilot Program.
In service of this program and small business needs, Main Street Alliance will conduct small business outreach through survey collection, 1:1 meetings and small group listening sessions. We seek to further understand what is working well for small businesses and what gaps still exist. We seek to connect with Vermont’s women, BIPOC, veteran and rural owned businesses, and those who have yet to access resources from regional and state-based programming. As one of the “spokes” in the larger Community Navigator Pilot Program, we are integrally connected to resources and programming throughout Vermont. To ensure that the needs of our small business community are met, we will act as a conduit to connect businesses to these services. By listening deeply and centering the small business voice, we hope to influence transformative change in Vermont to make for a more equitable and accessible small business economy.
Your experience is critical to shaping programs that work for small businesses across Vermont.
Thank you for providing insight into your experience as a small business owner!
Your answers will help us understand what is working well and how our economic development resources can better serve our small business community!
Join us for a listening session
We want to come together for a DEEPER DIVE! Over the next eight months, we will host a series of listening sessions. Sector-specific, issue-specific, and regional conversations will provide many opportunities for you to engage and tell your story! You have expertise in your experience and your voice matters. We hope you will join us!
If you identify as BIPOC and would prefer to participate in a BIPOC affinity space with our friends at the Vermont Professionals of Color, please register for any of their BIPOC Small Business Listening Sessions!
We will be scheduling small business listening sessions throughout the summer and fall. Want to make sure you hear about it?
Want to help us organize a listening session for your community? Please contact Morgan Nichols at morgan@mainstreetalliance.org
More on the Community Navigator Pilot Program:
According to the SBA, the Community Navigator Pilot Program is designed to “reduce barriers that all small businesses — including those owned by disadvantaged groups such as veterans, women and those from rural communities —often face in accessing critical support.”
The Community Navigator Pilot Program uses a “hub and spoke” model, with VtSBDC as the hub, and nine spoke organizations (including Main Street Alliance) that will create impact through the central hub. Together, we will leverage partnerships with deeply trusted community-based organizations to help small businesses navigate government resources and tap into critical resources, according to the SBA’s plan.
We are proud to partner with the following “spoke” organizations for the Community Navigator Pilot Program:
Vermont Law School (VLS)
Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) Financial Futures Program
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF)
Center for Women and Enterprise (CWEVT)
Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (CVEDC)
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC)
Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA)
Vermont Professionals of Color Network
Main Street Alliance-Vermont
