National Association for the Self-Employed – Business Benefits, Educational Resources and Access to Health Insurance for Small Businesses and Startups > NASE Members Receive $40,000 In Business Development Grants

Washington, D.C., December 30, 2009 – Micro-business owners received a financial boost to their business in the fourth quarter, thanks to the National Association for the Self-Employed’s Business Development Grant Program. These NASE Members, with businesses as varied as an environmental consulting firm and an accounting firm, were awarded a total of $41,500 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 $400,000 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 two 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 fourth quarter of 2009:

Gwen and James Arrigon of Beckett Run Inc. in Hamilton, Ohio
Aaron Degler of Degler Design, Inc. in Saint Charles, Ill.
Zane Homesley of Goshawk Environmental Consulting, Inc. in Austin, Texas
Carl Leonard of Fogles Asphalt Sealing in Walkersville, Md.
Tyler Madsen of Born Again Homes in Ellis, Idaho
Gaylene Mann of Curves of Dallas in Dallas, Ore.
Mary Miles of MG Accounting and Tax Service, LLC in Alpharetta, Ga.
Lesley Rackowski of Pillowcasegram & Other Things LLC in Westfield, N.Y.
Nancy Ritchie of Cranial Tap, Inc. in Sterling, Va.

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

About the NASE
The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation's leading resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, bringing 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 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 Web site at www.NASE.org.

Press Releases

Related Content

NASE Lauds Senate For Introducing Small Business Tax Extenders Act
The NASE’s recent call to Congress to heed the Self-Employed Agenda focusing on taxes was heard this week in the Senate. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) introduced the Small Business Tax Extenders Act of 2012, which would continue some popular tax breaks for the self-employed and micro-businesses (10 or fewer employees) for an additional two years.
NASE Supports Bill To Cut Excessive Paperwork For Small Businesses
The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) announced its support today of a bill that would help decrease a potential paperwork nightmare for the self-employed and micro-businesses (10 or fewer employees).
NASE, Obama Administration Celebrate One-Year Anniversary Of Startup America Initiative
“Tax incentives for startups and for businesses that have recently purchased new equipment are certainly a start, but we are concerned that so few of the policies suggested actually apply to the largest segment of small businesses – the self-employed and micro-businesses. That key demographic makes up more than 78% of the nation’s small business population,” commented NASE President Kristie L. Arslan.
NASE To The White House And Congress: Don’t Forget The Self-Employed Agenda This Year
As the President prepares to deliver his annual State of the Union address and Members of Congress prepare their talking points in response, the 22 million Americans who are self-employed must not be forgotten in the back and forth over big policy changes.
Small Businesses Support SBA Cabinet Level Status
As news reports circulate that President Obama will recommend the Small Business Administration (SBA) be elevated to Cabinet-level status, Kristie Arslan, President and CEO of the NASE, reacted by supporting the effort saying “it signals the importance of the small business community to our national economy.”