Launching the San Francisco Kiva Hub

We are excited to share that as of September 1, 2021 Centro Community Partners (Centro) will be the Kiva Hub for San Francisco.

Joshua received a $9,000 Kiva loan to help open a community-driven cafe with a mission to support the sober community and help keep Ocean Beach clean.

Centro has collaborated with local organizations and supported entrepreneurs in San Francisco since the organization started in 2010. And when Centro became the Kiva Hub for Oakland and Alameda County in 2020, we started providing informal support to local San Francisco-based entrepreneurs.

With the expansion of the Centro’s Capital Hub, our team is looking to support more entrepreneurs and organizations in the city to cultivate the ecosystem and provide them access to Kiva’s interest-free microloans of up to $15,000.

What is Kiva US?

Kiva US is an online crowdfunding platform that provides entrepreneurs with 0% interest loans of up to $15,000. To qualify for a loan, applicants must be over 18 years old, not currently in bankruptcy, have a business located in the US, and the loan must be used for business purposes.

With a $10,000 Kiva loan, Reem was able to buy a utility truck and hire staff to grow her business, eventually opened a restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District.

After the success of its international model, Kiva recognized the need to support local entrepreneurs in the United States and started the Kiva US program in 2011. Since then, Kiva US has provided over $3.5 million to 6,076 people throughout the country, including nearly $3.4 million to over 700 borrowers in Oakland.

What is Kiva Hub?

A local connection that guides borrowers and trustees through the Kiva process by providing on the ground support and personalized assistance.

Kiva Hubs are local organizations committed to the success of small business owners that agree to take responsibility for Kiva’s loan activity in a specific region. These organizations hire a Kiva-trained Capital Access Manager to guide borrowers through the loan process and assist the organizations (Trustees) supporting them with access to Kiva loans. Centro is honored to have been selected as the Kiva Hub for Oakland. In the near future, we will be supporting borrowers and their Trustees for all of Alameda County, as well as participants in all of the programs we provide.

We are here to help!

Centro’s Capital Hub has been able to help hundreds of entrepreneurs access capital through Kiva, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), government loans (PPP and EIDL) and grants. We’ve had a lot of success supporting entrepreneurs in Alameda County as the Oakland Kiva Hub, and expanding our support to San Francisco is a natural step for Centro. We look forward to continuing to work closely with local partners as we bring Kiva’s 0% interest loans (up to $15,000) to entrepreneurs in San Francisco.

Contact us

At Centro we have a team ready to support entrepreneurs to start or grow their business. Our goal is to have a single point of contact to assist in the application process, have a successful fundraising campaign, and have a positive experience when paying off your loan.

We have tools like Centro Business Planning App so that entrepreneurs can complete their business plan and navigate through the different local resources that can help them move forward.

Finally, we would like to invite all the organizations that are part of the Kiva ecosystem to join us in working with Centro so that more small businesses can participate in this experience and connect them with more financing opportunities.

Entrepreneurs

Read more about the eligibility requirements and application process on Kiva’s website. Please let us know if you’re interested in accessing a Kiva loan or have any questions.

Organizations

Learn more about becoming a Trustee on Kiva’s website. Please let us know if you would like to join as a Kiva Trustee or have any questions.

We’re here for you, so please reach out to us:

Verónica Gutiérrez, Capital Access Manager: KivaUS@centrocommunity.org

$1 Million in Kiva loans!

In January 2020 we officially launched the Centro Capital Hub as a way to connect Centro graduates and local entrepreneurs with different capital alternatives.

With this commitment in mind, we started a strategic alliance with Kiva in order to offer small business owners interest-free loans and assist in the application, fundraising and repayment process. As the Kiva Hub for Oakland and Alameda County, Centro became the main point of contact, ensuring a positive and successful experience for entrepreneurs and partner organizations.

After just 16 months, we’re excited to share that we have already helped 110 entrepreneurs reach over $1,000,000 in Kiva loans to support their small businesses and overcome the different challenges that this pandemic has presented them.

At a time when BIPOC and women struggle to receive financial support for their businesses, we are proud to share that of the people we helped access Kiva loans, 70% are women, 35% are Black, 44% are LatinX and 47% are immigrants.

As we became a Kiva Hub, we decided that we would require all borrowers to be endorsed by a trustee organization (including: the City of Oakland, Mandela Partners, Uptima Bootcamp, Prospera, Microfinance at Berkeley). Alternatively, if entrepreneurs complete Centro’s Business Planning App, we are happy to endorse their loans as well. This has contributed to a significant improvement in the repayment rate for Kiva loans in Alameda County, which now stands at 85% (previously it was at 73%).

Kiva loans serve as a great first step, as entrepreneurs look to access more capital to start their small businesses. As our entrepreneurs continue to grow, the Centro Capital Hub will continue to support them through larger Kiva loans, as well as connect them with local Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) who can provide larger loans, as well as special relief loans and grants.

Get involved today!

• Want to lend to an entrepreneur? Sign-up to receive notifications of entrepreneurs looking for support for their Kiva loans.

• Want to support Centro Community Partners? Donate today!

• Need Capital? Contact the Centro Capital Hub.

Centro is searching for a partner to centralize our data systems!

Just like our entrepreneurs, we thrive when we partner effectively and continue to improve. We are ready to level-up our data systems so we can keep up with our amazing entrepreneurs, and engage with our wider community more effectively.

Today we release a request for proposal to find qualified vendors.

Please feel free to share this with a vendor you think would make a great asset to the Centro Community.

Important Dates

• Public Notice: Monday, April 5, 2021

• Deadline for Questions: Wednesday, April 14, 2021

• Response to Questions Posted by: Friday, April 16, 2021

• Deadline for Receipt of Proposals: Monday, May 3, 2021

• Estimated Notification of Decisions: Friday, May 21, 2021

Winner of MIT Solve Challenge 2021

We are honored and very excited to share we are one of the five winners of the Reimagining Pathways to Employment Challenge, presented by MIT Solve!

Read the full announcement here.

We congratulate the other winners - Arts2Work, ChargerHelp!, Generation USA and The Last Mile - as well as the close to 200 solutions submitted! We want to express our gratitude to the partners that sponsored the competition (Morgridge Family Foundation, New Profit, CSU Global, and IBM), as well as the judges.

Challenge Question: How can workers in the United States attain the knowledge and learn the skills needed to access sustainable jobs and livelihoods in the new economy?

Our solution is centered on Democratizing Entrepreneurship by leveraging Centro’s Business Planning App, an inclusive app empowering women and minorities to pursue entrepreneurship as a pathway towards employment and a secure financial future. Read Centro’s full submission for the MIT Solve Challenge here.

We are incredibly humbled and eager to continue to evolve and scale support for women and underserved communities to pursue entrepreneurship.

Finalists for The Workers Lab Innovation Fund Fall 2020

We are excited to announce that Centro was selected as one of the 10 finalist for The Workers Lab’s Innovation Fund for Fall 2020!

Read the Announcement by The Workers Lab:

Last September, we put out a call for innovations to support workers in “coming back” stronger from COVID-19 and the myriad of injustices and broken systems that predated the pandemic.

The response to the Fall 2020 cycle of The Innovation Fund was nothing short of amazing: We heard from 558 innovators in seven countries and 46 states across the United States.

We are excited to share our 10 finalists with you below. Each of the outstanding worker leaders has a new idea or innovative approach to strengthen and support the economic comeback of historically underserved workers impacted by the pandemic and systemic injustice. 

Their ideas take on a variety of issues facing workers - access to affordable child care and small business support, to training for green jobs of the future - but the through-line is putting power back in the hands of workers.

On January 21, 2021, at 9 AM PT, all of our finalists will participate in our Finalist Showcase. During this event, they will receive live feedback from participants as they pitch their ideas for a chance to win $150,000 from The Innovation Fund for their projects. For the first time we're opening our showcase to the public. If you are interested in attending, you can RSVP for our Finalist Showcase livestream and watch it all unfold.

Centro Founder and CEO Awarded AARP 2021 Purpose Prize

We are honored share that Centro Founder and CEO Arturo Noriega is a winner of the AARP 2021 Purpose Prize, along with Mark Barden (Cofounder and Managing Director, Sandy Hook Promise), Cindy Eggleton (Cofounder and CEO, Brilliant Detroit), Hope Harley (Cofounder and President of the Board, Bronx Children’s Museum), and Susan Tachu (Cofounder and CEO, Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation).

See AARP’s presentation ceremony below and read AARP’s interview with Arturo and the other awardees.

AARP Purpose Prize

The AARP Purpose Prize award supports AARP's mission by honoring extraordinary people ages 50 and older who tap into the power of life experience to build a better future for us all.

“The AARP Purpose Prize is all about a new story of aging — focusing on experience and innovation and the idea that our aging population is an untapped resource full of possibilities,” said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins. “AARP Purpose Prize winners and nominees are role models. They are makers and doers who are out there creating new solutions that make the world a better place for people of all ages.”

About AARP

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and more than 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation’s largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

Sign up for free one on one business support

Haga click para leerlo en español

Our team is committed to supporting entrepreneurs, as they look to start, grow and sustain their businesses through this current crisis. Since April, we have worked with around 100 entrepreneurs to help them access capital, restructure their business models, move to online platforms and create social media and marketing campaigns. We’ve been able to help close to 40 entrepreneurs receive funding from loans (including Kiva’s 0% interest loans, PPP, and other local microlenders) and grants.

Please let us know if we can help you or a friend. Sign up for free business support, by filling out our Emergency Rapid Response Form, emailing help@centrocommunity.org or calling (510) 556-4249 to talk with our advisors in English or Spanish.

If you are able to support Centro please consider donating to our Emergency Fund to Support Businesses Impacted by COVID-19.

Centro stands together in solidarity with Black communities and entrepreneurs.

All of us at Centro, have been listening and deeply reflecting on the traumatizing and violent events that our community and country have been going through. Centro’s mission has always been to challenge the broken systems that perpetuate discrimination and racism, and today we feel more than ever to be steadfast in our commitment.

As a team, we stand together in solidarity with the Black community.

We see the pain that Black colleagues, entrepreneurs, families, children, neighbors and friends are going through. We see you and we hear you. We are saddened and frustrated with the institutional systemic racism and discrimination that has continued to oppress Black communities for too long.

Today and every day we remain united with all people who have experienced racism, discrimination and abuse of their human rights. Centro condemns the violence and destruction of Black communities.

We want to raise our voices and keep the community spirit in supporting our entrepreneurs with fundamental values such as equality, respect, justice and inclusivity. We will continue working hard to create the structural changes that will meet the needs of those who have had their human rights suppressed for too long.  Supporting and protecting diverse communities is the cornerstone of progress for a better and a more just world that is long overdue.

In solidarity,

Centro’s Team

Centro Responding to COVID-19

Haga click para leerlo en español

Dear Centro Community,

We hope that you and your family are healthy and safe. Our hearts go to those who are struggling the most and who have lost loved ones. We believe that the human spirit is strong and courageous, and that we must act collectively to help each other through the COVID-19 pandemic that is affecting each and every one of us in some way. It is a time to reflect, adjust our actions, and move forward with intention. This is a defining moment in our lives.

At Centro, we stand together. Our entire team is working from home to do our part to flatten the curve and we are making necessary adjustments that allow us to continue to offer support to small business entrepreneurs in our community. By shifting all of our programming online, Centro is able to continue its vital work during these challenging times.

Our team has already begun to support existing small businesses that need assistance accessing emergency government loans, and we are expanding our business advisory team to better help connect small business owners to available resources. Centro will be also providing entrepreneurship training online throughout the year and we are continuing to build our online capacity to better serve our entrepreneurs. I invite you to review (and share) our webpage with resources for business owners impacted by COVID-19.

I have learned that, in challenging times, we fall back on our values and the love we have for our family and our community. Only love can cast out fear, and the time for strong love is now. We will persevere together as a family, team, and community and will continue to build a better future for all of us.

If there is anything our team at Centro can do to help you, please let us know. We are inviting Centro’s entrepreneurs to fill out our COVID-19 Response Form. You can also email us at help@centrocommunity.org or call us at (510) 556-4249 to talk with our advisors in English or Spanish.

If you are able to support Centro please donate to our Emergency Fund to Support Businesses Impacted by COVID-19.

Sincerely,

Arturo A. Noriega

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Centro is hosting the Kiva Hub in Oakland

This alliance between Centro and Kiva US is a new initiative to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Oakland. With the new Kiva Hub, entrepreneurs and organizations will have a single point of contact to help them access interest-free microloans.

What is Kiva US?

With a $10,000 Kiva loan, Reem was able to buy a utility truck and hire staff to grow my business, eventually opening her first location in Oakland’s Fruitvale District.

Kiva US is an online crowdfunding platform that provides entrepreneurs with 0% interest loans of up to $10,000. To qualify for a loan, applicants must be over 18 years old, not currently in bankruptcy, have a business located in the US, and the loan must be used for business purposes.

After the success of its international model, Kiva recognized the need to support local entrepreneurs in the United States and started the Kiva US program in 2011. Since then, Kiva US has provided over $3.5 million to 6,076 people throughout the country, including nearly $3.4 million to over 700 borrowers in Oakland.

What is Kiva Hub?

A local connection that guides borrowers and trustees through the Kiva process by providing on the ground support and personalized assistance.

Luis received a $10,000 Kiva loan to help purchase a commercial ice-cream maker for his new location, allowing to produce more ice-cream, more efficiently and hire local people from the community.

Kiva Hubs are local organizations committed to the success of small business owners that agree to take responsibility for Kiva’s loan activity in a specific region. These organizations hire a Kiva-trained Capital Access Manager to guide borrowers through the loan process and assist the organizations (Trustees) supporting them with access to Kiva loans. Centro is honored to have been selected as the Kiva Hub for Oakland. In the near future, we will be supporting borrowers and their Trustees for all of Alameda County, as well as participants in all of the programs we provide.

What does this mean for local entrepreneurs and organizations?

We are excited to welcome Verónica Gutiérrez to join Centro as our Capital Access Manager. She will serve as the main point of contact for all borrowers looking for Kiva loans, as well as organizations looking to provide their communities with access to capital within Alameda County. With a Capital Access Manager on hand, Centro will ensure that borrowers and organizations have a positive and successful experience with Kiva.

Entrepreneurs

Read more about the eligibility requirements and application process on Kiva’s website. Please let us know if you’re interested in accessing a Kiva loan or have any questions.

Organizations

Learn more about becoming a Trustee on Kiva’s website. Please let us know if you would like to join as a Kiva Trustee or have any questions.

We’re here for you, so please reach out to us:

Verónica Gutiérrez, Capital Access Manager: KivaUS@centrocommunity.org

We understand that capital access is a permanent challenge for entrepreneurs. For this reason, we want to be a welcoming option to support and build successful businesses in Oakland. Be part of this initiative!

Centro Interviewed on NBC Bay Area

We are excited to share our interview with Damian Trujillo on NBC Bay Area's Comunidad Del Valle. Thanks, Damian!

The Bay Area’s Flipped Classroom for Small Business Entrepreneurs

What if there is a better way to teach entrepreneurship to new small business owners? What would it look like? These were the questions we dared to ask ourselves 8 years ago. And since then we keep finding new and better answers for them in an effort to create the best learning for busy women, recent immigrants, veterans and other new small business entrepreneurs in our programs.

When we first started developing the Centro Business Planning App, we knew that we wanted to use it to help improve our entrepreneurship-training program. However, initially, we struggled with the question of how mobile technology could be used in a classroom environment.

Our inspiration came from what was, at the time, a revolutionary approach to education that had been pioneered by the Khan Academy: The Flipped Classroom. The fundamental idea behind the Flipped Classroom methodology is that instead of listening to a lecture in class and doing homework assignments afterwards, students should watch a video of the lecture before coming to class and they should do their homework in the classroom, so that their teacher is actually available to help them when they have questions.

We took our own spin on this amazing idea and designed our app with the idea that entrepreneurs could complete a few app activities before class that would introduce the entrepreneurs to the topic and help them prepare for discussion.

This simple idea gave us a clear understanding of how we could use the Centro Business Planning App to enhance our training program. It was the spark that set off a chain-reaction of discovery and innovation at Centro. Our app is the main student tool used in our Basic Entrepreneurship Program, and right now, an average of 70% of the participants of the program are able to launch their business within 9 weeks of completion. Among them, 82% report an increase in their income and 76% report an increase in their savings.

“We are excited to innovate in the classroom and see the impact outside the classroom as these new entrepreneurs experience a boost in their morale and their personal finance. Setting them up for success is what we thrive to do best!”

— DJ Healy, Senior Program Manager

Learn More

Seeking Lenders and Assistance Providers for Small Business Owners

As many of you know, the Business Planning App walks small business entrepreneurs through the process of creating a business plan and their financials. Now we're ready to guide these entrepreneurs to the best local business assistance and funding options for their needs.

Despite the myriad options available to entrepreneurs, this is often times a space complicated to navigate for them. We also hope to connect lenders, Microenterprise Development Organizations and any other organization supporting small business entrepreneurs with pre-qualified leads. 

ENROLL TODAY TO JOIN THE NETWORK

To prepare the launch of this new feature and successfully connect small business entrepreneurs with local business/legal assistance providers and microlenders, we need you to enroll by providing us basic information about your products and services.

Please fill out the enrollment form most fitting for your organization: 

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email our Customer Success and Partnership Lead, Estefania Cardona at estefania@centrocommunity.org. 

SHARE WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

This network of support will work best when we reach a critical mass of organizations in the Business Planning App, so please share this with other organizations in the space so that we can include them as an option as well, and send potential entrepreneurs their way.

Revamp Your Entrepreneurship Program and Gain a Partner for Your Mission

The Los Angeles Community Development Corporation, Bethel LA, was one of the first organizations to train in the Centro Entrepreneurship Methodology, and implement our Entrepreneurship Suite.  

Bethel LA began using Centro's entrepreneurship resources in 2015, so they have been true trailblazers and early adopters of our entrepreneurship tools. For us, they are a case-study example of how we are helping others realize their mission, while supporting our goal of empowering small business entrepreneurs everywhere.

To share Bethel LA's experience, we interviewed their Co-founder and Entrepreneurship Program Lead, Frank Stokes. 

We hope these short five questions and answers help you understand what Centro's Entrepreneurship Suite accomplishes for other organizations or independent business coaches who train and work with small business entrepreneurs. 

1. What did your programs look like before implementing the Entrepreneurship Suite? 

In 2014, my colleague Moses McCutcheon Jr Ed.D. and I were working together with West Los Angeles College, providing workforce development programs every year. The programs were eight weeks long and 20 hours per week.

After working together for a while, we decided to collaborate in a bigger capacity and decided to launch the Bethel Los Angeles Community Development Corporation. Shortly after, we realized our programs were too long, and that we wanted something more community oriented. So in order to generate the high impact we were aiming for, we decided to scale down our programs. A year later, conversations with Claudia Viek, former Executive Director of the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), facilitated our partnership with Centro Community Partners, and that was when we trained on how to implement the curriculum and methodology in Centro’s Entrepreneurship Suite.

In addition to our training, Centro provided Business Plan Bootcamps for our community - altogether, a great experience that helped us adapt Centro’s format to out own programs. Today, we continue to lead four cohorts of small business entrepreneurs every year but in a completely different way.

2. What is your reach in terms of number of entrepreneurs and what efficiencies has the Entrepreneurship Suite provided for you so far?

During its first year, Bethel LA trained 29 entrepreneurs. Three years in, we are close to doubling the number of entrepreneurs we train per year, and we have decrease the cost of training in an 86%. That is something we could have never accomplished alone or in such a short period of time.

3. What is the biggest value you get from using Centro’s Entrepreneurship Suite?

The main value is the simplicity and user-friendliness of the Centro Business Planning App. This alone has helped us serve the community a lot - it particularly helps us get rid of many of the barriers our entrepreneurs face when they have an idea, and want to launch a new business.

I know people who have attempted once, twice, even three times to write a business plan and they have never been able to finish, until now! They often tell me “this is the first time I’ve ever had a real business plan done!”

Also, we were always on the lookout for new ways to introduce new concepts to our program. With the app, we receive updates automatically - which is a huge benefit.

The other great value is how the app connects our entrepreneurs with Kiva loans. This gives extra confidence to our community as they realize there is a real pathway to get access to capital.

4. What is the biggest advantage of using Centro’s entrepreneurship resources?

To be able to help entrepreneurs with business integration, launching, expansion and capital formation - all in one. With Centro’s Entrepreneurship Suite we are seeing our mission come true. It really works!

5. What do entrepreneurs say about your program, now that you are using Centro’s entrepreneurship resources?

Their main comment is: “This is worth a lot more than what I paid!” We are excited that not only entrepreneurs experience the benefits of a streamlined entrepreneurship program that works, but it is also an excellent service that is affordable.

We are really happy to advocate for Centro, the Business Planning App, and the entrepreneurship methodology overall. We feel encouraged with this partnership and we hope to keep doing great things together.

We thank Frank Stokes for his strong partnership. We too hope we keep supporting more small business entrepreneurs together! 

CENTRO'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUITE AT-A-GLANCE

• An entrepreneurship methodology and compendium of resources created to support aspiring and current small business owners who lack business education or experience. 
• Designed for business coaches and organizations who lead or want to launch entrepreneurship programs for their constituency.
• Includes lesson plans supported by the Centro Business Planning App, resources for trainers and learning tools for entrepreneurs. 
• Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.

Other organizations who have implemented Centro's Entrepreneurship Suite include Mandela MarketPlace, West Angeles Community Development Corporation, Vermont Slauson, Mi Casa, Inland Empire, GlassRoots, BOCNET, Stockton Impact Corps, and the Mexican Heritage Center & Gallery.

More Programs in More Languages for New Small Business Entrepreneurs

Graduating class of Centro's Basic Entrepreneurship Program in Oakland, CA.

Diversity and inclusion are at the center of equity, and so at Centro, we have made it a priority to bring them to the center of economic prosperity by making entrepreneurship attainable for all.

Our trajectory in this journey is only beginning, but the path we started in 2010 has led us to see and examine the challenging needs of small business entrepreneurs from up close. In response, we have gathered people, partners, hearts and minds, and all the resources available to us to plan, launch and continually enhance the programs we design for underserved small business entrepreneurs near and far.

In the past 12 months, we have run 17 entrepreneurship training programs in three different languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese) across the Bay Area and Stockton. Ten of those programs were aimed at small business entrepreneurs primarily in the idea stage of their business, and who had not been exposed to any formal business education.

So far, our location hubs for these Basic Entrepreneurship Programs and Business Plan Bootcamps are Oakland, Stockton and San Jose - all thanks to the partnership of the Mexican Heritage Center & Gallery, AnewAmerica and San Jose Public Library Works.  

Our partners help power our work, but what empowers us to continue doing it is what our entrepreneurs say:  

“Physically we are the same people, but mentally we changed by leaps and bounds. We gained confidence. We started believing in ourselves.”

— Madhu Challa, owner of Pretty Pokets and Centro Entrepreneur

You can read more of Madhu's experience after our Basic Entrepreneurship Program and about the joy of continued learning after our Advanced Entrepreneurship Program.

This month alone, we launched two more Basic Entrepreneurship Programs, one in Spanish in San Jose, and another one in English in Stockton. And our goal is to complete three more before the end of the year.

UPCOMING BASIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

If you or someone you know would like to sign up for our next Basic Entrepreneurship Program, you can learn more about it here, and sign up online.

Our next English cohort will meet in Oakland, starting on September 19th, so share widely and apply by Friday, September 14.

All of our program trainers are alumni of Centro's entrepreneurship programs, and successful entrepreneurs themselves. If you have any questions for them, we would be happy to put you in touch before enrolling.

UPCOMING ADVANCED ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

Entrepreneurs who have completed a basic entrepreneurship program at Centro or any other organization are eligible for our follow up, advanced training program. You can learn more about the benefits and enrollment requirements here.

The program is 14-weeks-long and the next cohort begins on September 21st.

We are already accepting applications and interviewing candidates.

Centro is Awarded Innovation Grant by NBC Bay Area

We’d like to share some great news! We are proud to announce that Centro Community Partners was selected by NBCUniversal Foundation as one of the eight winners of the 2018 Project Innovation Grant Challenge. The NBCUniversal Foundation is granting over $5 million through the next two years to non-profits that are strengthening communities through innovation and technology solutions.

Winning this competitive grant is tremendously exciting, because it is indicative that our work with the Centro Business Planning App is being seen, appreciated and elevated!

Naldo Peliks, Chief Operations Officer at Centro

Grant programs like this help us support our local community of small business entrepreneurs with creativity as we encourage them to re-invent themselves as empowered architects of their own future.

With this newly won grant, Centro will provide entrepreneurship training, mentorship and access to capital through a mobile powered enterprise development ecosystem, available to thousands of minority and women entrepreneurs who want to start or grow a small business. 

We will also be able to reinforce digital inclusion and innovative solutions in our neighborhoods as well as setting trends of civic entrepreneurialism for our rising small business community. This grant is more than an award to our program, it is a celebration of our mission and we are very happy to share this exciting opportunity of growth. 

Fellow 2018 Project Innovation Challenge Winners in the Bay Area

About NBCUniversal Foundation

NBCUniversal Foundation works to advance initiatives at the cross-section of societal needs and NBCUniversal’s priorities. The Foundation supports programs and organizations that strive to move communities forward – with a focus on innovation and technology. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast Corporation.

Why Wait on Your Dream Business? Start With as Little as $60 and Your Wit

Why wait on your dreams? Start a business in 2018! This winter season Centro is offering two 9-Week Basic Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Series in Old Oakland.

What will I gain from the program?

• Basic business strategy. This means you will create a vision, mission and values for your business, and understand why it is so important. You will also finish the program with a detailed breakdown of your personal and business finance, a market analysis, your value proposition and marketing strategy, and what's required for your operations.

• A basic business plan and a business plan presentation, so that you can pitch your business to others.

• A network of Bay Area entrepreneurs just like yourself.

• Access to a Kiva micro loan that can help you get started right away if you need seed funding.

Basic program details

Choose the 9-week session that works best for you:

• Session 1 will be on Wednesdays, starting Jan, 31st from 5pm - 8pm. Here is how to register.
• Session 2 will be on Thursdays, starting Feb. 1st from 5pm - 8pm. Here is how to register.
• Where: At Centro Community Partners in Old Oakland (825 Washington Street)
• Cost: A total of $60 only for 9 classes.
• No business experience or training of any kind required. Come and we'll guide you step-by-step.

Secure your spot today by completing the application corresponding to the session in which you are interested, and submit the initial $20 payment.

More information?

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our Oakland trainer, Hope Lehman, at hope@centrocommunity.org or (510) 990-0184.

9-week Basic Entrepreneurship Program in Oakland begins August 15

Have you always wanted to start a small business? To offer something unique to others? To play a bigger part in your community? If you are not afraid to work hard for your dreams, join us!

Centro is offering a 9-week Basic Entrepreneurship program in Oakland. Our mission of building communities through thriving businesses is at the heart of the workshop series, as is Centro's Business Planning App.

The coursework will be a guided, step-by-step process to create a business plan through simple and fun activities, in addition to interactive workshops that will help you analyze and develop further the concepts you put in paper. We will also cover Basic Strategy (i.e. vision, mission and values), Personal Finance, Market Analysis, Value Proposition, Operations, Marketing Strategy and Business Finance.

Program Details:

• 9 consecutive Tuesdays from 5 - 8 pm, beginning August 15
• Cost: $60 (payment plan offered)
• Place: The program will take place at Centro Community Partners at 825 Washington Street, Suite 228, Oakland.

For more information about the program and the scholarships available, please email: Hope@centrocommunity.org. She will be happy to chat and reserve a spot for you!

Ready to Sign Up?

9-week Basic Entrepreneurship Program in Oakland begins May 16

Have you always wanted to start a small business? To offer something unique to others? To play a bigger part in your community? If you are not afraid to work hard for your dreams, join us!

Centro is offering a 9-week Basic Entrepreneurship program in Oakland. Our mission of building communities through thriving businesses is at the heart of the workshop series, as is Centro's Business Planning App.

The coursework will be a guided, step-by-step process to create a business plan through simple and fun activities, in addition to interactive workshops that will help you analyze and develop further the concepts you put in paper. We will also cover Basic Strategy (i.e. vision, mission and values), Personal Finance, Market Analysis, Value Proposition, Operations, Marketing Strategy and Business Finance.

Program Details:

• 9 consecutive Tuesdays from 5 - 8 pm, beginning May 16
• Cost: $90 (Scholarships available for low-income entrepreneurs)
• Place: The program will take place at Centro Community Partners at 825 Washington Street, Suite 228, Oakland.

For more information about the program and the scholarships available, please email: Arturo@centrocommunity.org. He will be happy to chat and reserve a spot for you!

Ready to Sign Up?

Free Tax Preparedness Workshop for Small Businesses

Small business entrepreneurs can encounter many challenges as they plan and run their businesses simultaneously, usually spending most of their time tending to customers and "putting out fires." For months-at-a-time, accounting and tax preparedness can take the "back seat," until they sneak up as an immediate need once a year.

If you are wondering what you should have done throughout the year to make sure you are ready to file your taxes on time, please join us for this free workshop led by Mayfield Accounting. You will not only receive advice on how best to organize in preparation for either working with a tax preparer or using at-home software, but you will also learn a lot about the inner-workings of your business, and feel more confident about making decisions to improve it.

BASIC WORKSHOP DETAILS

• Title: Business Tax Basics for Startups
• Who is this workshop for: All small business entrepreneurs - Centro students, alumni and anyone running a small business who needs help.
• When: Wednesday, March 15th 2017
• Time: 5 - 7 pm
• Place: Centro Community Partners Office in Oakland, CA
• Free of charge

YOU WILL LEARN

• How to meet all the tax compliance requirements for your startup.
• Pros and cons of each type of business structure.
• How to navigate and plan for various business related filings, including entity/income returns, sales tax and payroll.
• What supporting documents you need to maintain to ensure proper preparation of your income tax returns.
• Strategies on how to organize and manage your documents, and reduce the clutter. 

QUESTIONS & REGISTRATION

Please contact Irina Kurtsevaya at irina@centrocommunity.org to ask any questions you may have or let her know you will attend.

ABOUT MAYFIELD ACCOUNTING

Mayfield Accounting is a small business accounting and consulting firm, dedicated to the development and growth of female-owned businesses. "It is our belief that within every woman lies the power to make the  world a better place, and at Mayfield we deploy the practical application of this belief by using our  knowledge and training to improve the performance of businesswomen." say founders Lindsay Hiken and Joy Pang. 

Lindsay and Joy come from a variety of educational and experiential backgrounds ranging from Big 4 public accounting, to post baccalaureate work in the fields of business administration and accounting, to hands-­on experience as entrepreneurs and small business owners. This diversity allows them to be more than just number crunchers for their clients: they are advisors, confidants, partners...and yeah, they are good at crunching the numbers too!

We're lucky to have Lindsay and Joy lead this workshop for you!