egaheaderimage

IMPORTANT DATES

  • May 1, 2022:
    Application Opens
  • June 10, 2022:
    Application Deadline
  • June 17, 2022:
    Participants Announced

Economic Growth Accelerator Application

Santa Barbara County business owners: Submit your application between May 1 and June 10th, 2022 at 11:59 PM for the 2022 Santa Barbara County Economic Growth Accelerator.

Creating a Better Santa Barbara County Economy for All

Business owners in Santa Barbara County who want to grow their business in 2022 have an innovative new program to turn to for capital, tailored training, and business mentoring. The Santa Barbara County Economic Growth Accelerator will help business owners make their vision for business growth a reality. 

The Economic Growth Accelerator is a no-cost six-month virtual program that helps Santa Barbara County business owners with established businesses to design and begin implementing a strategic business growth plan to increase business revenue; hire, grow and retain local talent; and create rewarding careers for their employees.

The Accelerator combines tailored entrepreneurship training and business mentoring to help business owners attain growth milestones, and those who successfully complete the Accelerator have the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $10,000. All business owners who believe their established business is ready to grow are encouraged to apply.

The Economic Growth Accelerator is a collaboration between SBCC’s Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, the SBCC Foundation, SBCC, and SCORE, with each organization contributing its strengths and resources to bring this opportunity to Santa Barbara County business owners.

Submit YOUR application for the 2022 Economic Growth Accelerator! The application period is May 1 through June 10th, 2022, and selected participants will be announced by June 17th.

How Does the Economic Growth Accelerator Work?

The Economic Growth Accelerator runs from June through November 2022 and culminates with the announcement of the 2022 grant recipient on November 18th during National Entrepreneurship Month.

Entrepreneurs and subject matter experts will lead six virtual learning labs that are tailored to meet the collective needs of the participants. Participants are business owners and up to two of their key employees who will help implement the growth initiative. The inclusive learning environment welcomes diversity among business owners and their teams.

During the Economic Growth Accelerator, each business owner will have a dedicated mentor to help assess readiness for business growth in 2022, define goals, devise a strategic growth plan for implementation, identify funding sources, and attain associated milestones toward implementation. 

Business owners who successfully complete the Economic Growth Accelerator will be eligible to apply for a grant of up to $10,000 to apply toward their growth initiative. Grant recipients will receive no-cost monthly mentoring from SCORE mentors to carry out their growth initiative within a 12-month period following the Accelerator. Grant recipients provide quarterly progress reports during the 12-month period.

Why the Economic Growth Accelerator?

The Santa Barbara County Economic Growth Accelerator is aimed at creating a better Santa Barbara County economy for all. Entrepreneurs create most net new jobs in the United States, yet at least 83% of entrepreneurs do not access institutional forms of capital, such as bank loans or venture capital. Many businesses stay small and do not hire a single employee. This absence of growth and productivity is highly correlated to either limited capital and/or limited business skills. The Economic Growth Accelerator serves to help alleviate these issues in Santa Barbara County.

How can my business be selected for the  Economic Growth Accelerator?

Submit your application for the 2022 Economic Growth Accelerator. Applications will be reviewed and selected participants will be notified directly. Mark your calendar with these important dates:

May 1, 2022: Application Period Opens

The 2022 Economic Growth Accelerator application period opens May 1. The application is available by clicking here.

June 10, 2022: Application Period Closes

The Economic Growth Accelerator application period closes on June 10th at midnight. No applications will be accepted after this deadline.

June 17th, 2022: Announcement of Participants

Up to six Santa Barbara County business owners will be selected and announced on June 17th, 2022. The first learning lab will take place on June 24th and the program culminates on November 18th with the announcement of the 2022 grant recipients.

Questions?

Santa Barbara County business owners can contact the Scheinfeld Center director, Julie Samson, with any questions: 805.965.0581 ext. 3643, or jasamson@sbcc.edu.  To receive updates about the Economic Growth Accelerator, please subscribe to the Scheinfeld Center’s monthly e-news by clicking here.

Contact Us

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Not readable? Change text. captcha txt