News

NASE Members Receive Over $50,000 In Business Development Grants

Program Continues To Help Members Grow, Succeed

Washington, D.C., December 28, 2010 – Micro-business owners received a financial boost to their business in the third and fourth quarters, thanks to the National Association for the Self-Employed’s Business Development Grant Program. These NASE Members, from an artist in Alaska to a computer repair company in Maine, were awarded a total of $54,998 for their businesses.

With the Business Development Grant program, NASE Members can apply for up to $5,000 for a specific business need such as the purchase of new equipment or software, or the funding of advertising, marketing materials and training. Since the program began in 2006, the association has awarded over $500,000 to member businesses.

The NASE Business Development Grant Program offers access to capital for micro-business owners who have a specific business need – but lack the finances to carry out that goal. The program was designed after an online NASE Member poll found that a majority of micro-business owners (57 percent) initially fund their businesses using personal savings, and many (40 percent) continue to use personal savings for ongoing financing.

“Over the past four years, we’ve seen how just a small amount of capital can get a business off the ground,” said NASE President Robert Hughes. “When a retailer can suddenly sell products online or a contractor can buy a piece of equipment instead of renting it—those small changes to the way a business operates can generate huge profits.”

The following NASE Members received grants during the third and fourth quarters of 2010:

Pat Bennett of Wicked Coursing in La Mesa, Calif.
Bernard Bonin of Bernie’s Italian Ice in South Hadley, Mass.
Latifa Bradwell of Epartykits.com in Detroit, Mich.
Ilana Diallo of Hand In Hand Financial in Charlotte, N.C.
Edward Frye of Frye Brothers Plumbing Inc. in Finleyville, Pa.
Edward Guerentz of Specialty Home Improvement in Cary, Ill.
Todd Gustafson of ComputerSolutions, LLC in Rockland, Maine
Vicki Meyerhoff Smith of Bigfork Bigphoto in Bigfork, Mont.
Karen Moloney Delpha of KMD Billing in Norristown, Pa.
Michael Wolniewicz of MW Furniture Design in Chester Gap, Va.
Sheila Wyne of Sheila Wyne Studios in Anchorage, Alaska


To learn about all the NASE Business Development Grant recipients, click here. Benefit availability dependent upon membership level.