Clarkston, GA – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Atlanta, Refugee Women’s Network (RWN), the Latin American Association (LAA), and the Somali American Community Center (SACC) has received an $800,000 award from the U.S. Small Business Administration Community Navigator Pilot Program (CNPP), a press release said.

The award is part of a $100 million federal American Rescue Plan initiative to support small business economic recovery and will help small business owners from Georgia’s diverse communities rebuild resilient, thriving companies. A launch event will be held on April 21 in Clarkston.

In the two-year CNPP initiative, the IRC in Atlanta, RWN, the LAA, and the SACC will support up to 600 diverse small business owners across Georgia, with a specific focus on helping refugees, immigrants, and individuals from underserved communities. The collective network will help these businesses recover from the impacts of COVID-19 by providing no-cost business counseling, training, technical assistance, and support with accessing up to $3 million in small business relief, with interpretation for all services and trainings available upon request.

America’s small business owners—especially those from refugee, immigrant and other diverse populations —have long been critical to the economic health of the U.S. and communities nationwide, the press release says. In Georgia, immigrants play an outsized role in the state’s small business community: They make up one-tenth of the state’s population but own nearly one-third of all Main Street businesses, employing thousands of Georgians and generating billions in revenue each year. According to the press release, this award will not only provide needed support to these entrepreneurs as they emerge from the pandemic, but it will produce far-reaching benefits for Georgians across the state.

Here are details about Thursday’s event:

– WHAT: Media Launch Event: Recovery Resources for Refugee & Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Georgia

– WHO: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Atlanta, Refugee Women’s Network (RWN), the Latin American Association (LAA), the Somali American Community Center (SACC), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and local immigrant business owners

– WHEN: Thursday, April 21, 10am – 12pm

– WHERE: Clarkston Community Center, 3701 College Ave, Clarkston, GA 30021

The Tucker Observer is a new community news website owned by Decaturish.com. We provide locally sourced news about Tucker, Clarkston and Stone Mountain.

For more Tucker news, follow us on Facebook by clicking here. Follow us on Twitter by clicking here. 

Want the latest news from the Tucker Observer delivered to your inbox every morning? Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter. 

To become a paying supporter of Tucker Observer, click here.