Demonstrating Scale in Domestic Microenterprise

About this grant

This grant will provide funding for the Aspen Institute to launch a four year demonstration project aimed at increasing the number of low-income entrepreneurs served by the U.S. microenterprise industry. The challenge of reaching larger numbers of microentrepreneurs is a long-standing issue in the U.S. microenterprise field, with its 500 programs currently serving less than a million individuals annually. During the start-up year of the demonstration, eight participants with potential to achieve greater scale in service delivery will be selected to receive financial support, technical assistance, and peer learning opportunities. The participants will explore promising scale-up strategies and help to develop the technical assistance and training services needed to assist additional microenterprise programs.