In conjunction with the Partnership for Lending in Underserved Markets (PLUM), a Milken Institute and U.S. Small Business Administration initiative to develop actionable solutions to long-standing barriers that constrain minority entrepreneurs from accessing capital, the PLUM Los Angeles Technical Assistance Working Group spent considerable time exploring what culturally competent technical assistance looks like and identifying best practices around program design, service delivery, curriculum, and marketing and outreach.
Technical assistance is the education and guidance provided to entrepreneurs and small business owners to help them start and grow businesses. As it builds the capacity of organizations to operate effectively, technical assistance positions entrepreneurs and small businesses to access capital. To effectively reach and support Black and Hispanic small business owners, technical assistance needs to be culturally competent.
Developing cultural competence is a dynamic and complex process requiring ongoing assessment and feedback, but it is necessary to building trust between technical assistance providers and Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs and small business owners. By implementing culturally competent best practices around program design, service delivery, curriculum, and marketing and outreach, TA providers can more effectively reach and support these populations.
In the first white paper of this series, The Path to Inclusive Capitalism: An Asset Owner Guide for Investment Portfolios, we laid out four core pillars to focus on for progressing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the financial...
The Milken Institute and U.S. Small Business Administration Partnership for Lending in Underserved Markets (PLUM) initiative aims to increase the amount of capital reaching minority-owned businesses and the number of successful minority...
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Melanie Schwartz is an associate director with Milken Institute Finance and has a background in African and emerging markets, strategic communications, and international development. Schwartz works within the Institute’s Inclusive Capitalism program and proudly supports the program’s various initiatives designed to progress diversity, equity, and inclusion in the financial sector.
The Milken Institute conducted a pilot project exploring ways to improve the efficacy of small business technical assistance programs through the application of behavioral science intervention known as a “nudge” (Thaler and Sunstein 2008)...
Washington, DC – June 18, 2021 – The Milken Institute today released a set of strategies outlining how corporations, large financial institutions, philanthropic organizations, and governments can leverage mission-focused lenders to better...
New report calls for leveraging Minority Depository Institutions and Community Development Financial Institutions to better meet the needs of underserved communities.
Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and contribute substantially to U.S. economic growth and productivity. Yet, accurate data on the small business lending environments at the local, state, and national levels, in...
Minority-owned small businesses play an important role in the nation’s economic health by driving job creation, raising wages, and elevating better standards of living in communities throughout the United States. In June 2016, the Milken...
The Milken Institute and U.S. Small Business Administration Partnership for Lending in Underserved Markets ( PLUM) initiative aims to increase the amount of capital reaching minority-owned businesses and the number of successful minority...
The Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation are proud to announce the winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech, a $2 million innovation award designed to reward companies working to expand access to capital and financial services...
Paul Guequierre is the director of strategic communications. In this role, he works to increase the profile of Milken Institute in the media, raise the visibility of issues important to the organization and its stakeholders, and expand the Institute's digital presence.