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A Collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Treasury 

 

Why IIE

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our economy. They account for almost half of our GDP and employ nearly half of private-sector workers. Entrepreneurs of color represent the fastest growing segment of the small business market, yet they have the least access to capital, more likely to be denied credit, more likely to pay high interest rates, and less likely to apply for loans out of fear of being denied.   

 

About IIE

Announced in October 2022 by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE) is a $100 million national effort to expand access to capital for small businesses owned by people of color. IIE harnesses the power of public-private collaboration to ensure the equitable implementation of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s $10 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), 40% of which is designated for socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI businesses). With leverage as a built-in strategy, every SSBCI dollar deployed is designed to catalyze $10 in private investment, with a 1:1 match required. 

 

Authorized under the American Rescue Plan, SSBCI is primed to be the most significant small business program in US history. And its full potential can only be realized through public-private collaboration. Through IIE, the corporate and philanthropic sectors can support capacity building, fuel innovative strategies and products, and invest the required matching capital that will ultimately strengthen the small business ecosystem, advance racial equity, and transform communities. 

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