Small business owners have been hit hard by the pandemic, and this is especially true for immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs, who are more likely to work in vulnerable industries like hospitality or personal services and experience barriers like limited English proficiency. At the same time, immigrant communities have helped drive economic growth out of previous recessions and are playing essential roles in helping cities through the recovery from Covid-19.
To help local communities better understand the challenges facing immigrant entrepreneurs and promote an inclusive economic recovery, New American Economy is excited to release a new toolkit, developed in partnership with Bloomberg Associates, the philanthropic consulting arm of Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Toolkit: Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Entrepreneurs, features the following:
- A detailed overview of the challenges facing immigrant, refugee and other underserved entrepreneurs
- A series of recommended actions and in-depth case studies that are rapidly deployable and applicable to a variety of local contexts, including efforts to promote access to capital and financial aid, mentorship, and navigation
- Recommended metrics and a detailed checklist to help cities conduct initial and on-going self-assessments
- Links to additional research, tools and resources for supporting immigrant small business owners
The full toolkit, Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Entrepreneurs, can be found here.
