Microenterprise and Disability: Building the Momentum

About this grant

This grant will enable the Abilities Fund to continue working to increase entrepreneurial opportunities for people with disabilities. The goals of the fund are to increase access to capital for individuals with disabilities who are interested in starting or expanding a business; and improving access to education, training and technical assistance for individuals with disabilities who are pursuing financial self-sufficiency.Funding will support activities that include developing an online tool for collecting, organizing and receiving client information to support the referral process to micro-enterprise programs; preparing the micro-enterprise industry to provide disability-specific benefit programs; assisting micro-enterprise practitioners to improve their organization’s ability to serve individuals with disabilities; and building income-generating partnerships with rehabilitation agencies and other non-traditional funding sources.During the past three years, the fund has worked to increase the capacity of micro-enterprise programs to serve entrepreneurs with disabilities by advocating for entrepreneurship as a viable option in the disability community; and providing knowledge and resources to micro-enterprise programs interested in working with this population.