NASE in the News

As Small Businesses Begin Slow Recovery from COVID Pandemic, National Association Awards $16K in Growth Grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, August 23, 2021
CONTACT:  Kristofer Eisenla, LUNA+EISENLA media
kristofer@lunaeisenlamedia.com | 202-670-5747 (mobile)

National Association for the Self-Employed Provides Support to Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, & Florida Small Businesses for Recovery and Growth

DALLAS, TX – With the small business community beginning the slow recovery from the devastating COVID pandemic, the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), the nation’s leading advocate and resource for the self-employed and micro-business community, announced today $16,000 in Growth Grants to four local small businesses for the second quarter of 2021.  Today’s announcement also includes a partnership with DELL Small Business who generously has sponsored $4,000 for one of the Growth Grant awards.

This year, NASE will award $60,000 total in grants to fifteen small businesses to support their growth and expansion of business operations and help support their emergence from the COVID pandemic.

“Our nation’s small business community, including self-employed and micro-businesses, helps fuel the American economic engine.  As our community begins to heal from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are proud to do our part to help the American small business community get to the other side of this crisis,” said John Hearrell, Vice President of Membership and Affiliate Programs.  “From each side of Main Street to every corner of America, small businesses are delivering unique goods and services to their customers. Since 1989, our mission is built on the cornerstone of supporting these businesses to grow and thrive.  It’s an honor to make an investment of $4,000 in each of these Growth Grant recipients, bringing our total grant awards to date to over $1,000,000 since the program’s inception.”

The recipients of the second quarter 2021 NASE Growth Grants are:

• Daddy’s Dough, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by NASE member MarcQus Wright, was awarded a second quarter Growth Grant in 2021. Daddy’s Dough makes homemade cookies from scratch locally but can ship them across the country.

• iShine For You Auto Detailing, located in Williamsburg, Virginia, owned by NASE member Kenya Williams, was awarded a second quarter Growth Grant in 2021. iShine For You Auto Detailing is a full service, professional auto detailing facility certified by the International Detailing Association.

• Aphrodite Painting, located in Portland, Oregon, owned by NASE member Ciena Colburn, was awarded a second quarter Growth Grant in 2021. Aphrodite Painting brings a new dynamic to home painting by bringing skilled artists to tackle painting projects large or small.

The following 2021 Growth Grant was sponsored by DELL Small Business.

Always Keep Progressing, located in Miami, Florida, owned by NASE member Annie Tao, was awarded a second quarter Growth Grant in 2021. Always Keep Progressing is a private speech-language pathology and occupational therapy practice dedicated to providing personalized therapy to children of all ages.


For nearly 20 years, NASE’s focus has been on finding the most effective way to bolster success for small business and self-employed members in communities across the country.  NASE has awarded over $1,000,000 since the program’s inception and continue to see significant return on our investments in the growth of member-businesses helping to fuel their local economies.

NASE’s Growth Grant program is intended for businesses planning to take the next step in their venture.  It provides available capital for small businesses and sole proprietors to be able to hire and train additional employees, market their business in new and existing ways or invest in new equipment or software.

Applications are considered on a rolling basis throughout the year and winning small businesses will be awarded $4,000 grants each quarter throughout 2021.  Visit the Growth Grant page for more information.

NASE members also enjoy a comprehensive list of benefits designed to help small business owners and sole proprietors start and grow their business.  A complete listing of benefits available to NASE members is available, here.  NASE members are offered a host of resources designed to help support entrepreneurs and small employers including access to professional “Ask the Experts” services in tax, health care and marketing, a navigational assistant health care portal, scholarships and grants, discounts on shipping rates and office supplies, and affordable email marketing systems and webhosting services. NASE’s newest member benefits continue the tradition of providing real-world, bottom-line assistance to small business owners.  To become a member of NASE, apply online here.

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The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation's leading advocate and resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, offering a broad range of benefits to help entrepreneurs succeed and to drive the continued growth of this vital segment of the American economy.

The NASE Next Biz Thinghelps identify and connect our nation’s smallest businesses. Need small business help? Check out NASE’s Ask the Experts for advice or the NASE Minute for small business support.

The NASE is a 501(c) (6) nonprofit organization and provides big-business advantages to hundreds of thousands of micro-businesses across the United States. For more information, visit the association's website at NASE.org