The Nonprofit Leadership Center is currently seeking a program director to develop and deliver NLC learning experiences and programs to help nonprofit leaders strengthen their skills, organizations and communities.
Key responsibilities include:
Working with experts and NLC trainers to create and support the development of a curriculum focused on nonprofit leadership, board governance, fund development, communications/marketing and financial management
Designing and delivering programs, facilitating training and group coaching and participating in regular networking activities
Using technological systems to maintain and assess program data
Providing input into the overall strategic direction of NLC programs and learning experiences
Important Dates: All RFIs are due by Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 3 p.m. Horus Construction Services will be hosting meetings to review and discuss Moffitt’s diversity goals for the project. If you need any assistance in achieving diversity goals, please contact Candice Graham-Scotland at 813.326.3719 or Candice.Scotland@horus-cs.com Bid Due Date: All proposals shall be firm, lump sum pricing and shall be delivered electronically via email to:
This session is for entrepreneurs in St. Petersburg to hear from an expert panel on how to secure your 1st or 2nd SBA PPP Loan, including the documentation needed, eligibility requirements, deadlines and more. Panelists include Brad Owens, Capital Access Specialist for the Florida Small Business Development Center; Owen LaFave, Market President for Bank of Tampa; and Latifa Jackson, One Community Business Navigator and CEO of Hurst Consulting.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued a firm call to heal America’s racial divide, taking several steps and promising more to confront racism and inequality that he said has plagued the United States for far too long.
Racial tensions simmered during the turbulent four-year presidency of Donald Trump and Biden noted that the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol by Trump supporters was carried out by “thugs, insurrectionists, political extremists and white supremacists.” But Biden said he believes the vast majority of Americans believe in equality.
“We’ve never fully lived up to the founding principles of this nation – to state the obvious – that all people are created equal and have a right to be treated equally throughout their lives,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “And it’s time to act now, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because if we do we’ll all be better off for it.”
The NAWBO Established and Ready to Grow Entrepreneurship Program sponsored by AARP aims to engage 40 Women Business Owners of Color aged 45+, who are in the early stages of business ownership and seeks to propel them to the next level of their business journey. This scholarship opportunity is presented through the NAWBO Institute for Entrepreneurial Development.
Tiffany Moore (above) was one of many local business owners who were approved for a PPP loan last year. Her firm – Moore Eventful Event Hall – was shuttered for months and is still operating at half its pre-COVID capacity.
The U.S. Small Business Administration opened a new round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding this January, and St. Petersburg’s One Community team is gearing up to help more African Americans secure this unique forgivable loan over the next two months.
Official data suggest that African Americans won a sizable share of the half a billion dollars in federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans that went to St. Petersburg-based organizations in Round 1 of the program, which closed its application window in August 2020.
But the data also show black-owned firms and black-led non-profits receiving less than their representative share.
Across all race and ethnic groups, applicants in St. Petersburg won 6,400 PPP Loans in Round 1 (5,735 in the smaller category (less than $150,000) and 679 of the larger loans available (ranging up to $10 million).
PPP Loans in St. Petersburg in 2020
Loan Size
# Loans
$Loaned
Avg Loan
Less than $150,000
5,735
$166,340,581
$29,004
$150,000 to $10 million
679
$378,475,000*
$557,401
TOTALS:
6,414
$544,815,581
*Estimated
It’s impossible to know precisely how much went to black-owned firms, since the SBA doesn’t require applicants to report their race or ethnicity.
But several data points suggest that African Americans in St. Pete held their own in the bum-rush for PPP dollars in the spring and summer of 2020 as businesses struggled through the COVID shutdown.
For one, the SBA database of loans approved through the end of 2020 shows 957 approved PPP loans totaling $62.1 million in South St. Petersburg zip codes, where 80% of the city’s African American population resides (33712, 33711 and 33705).
It’s a certainty that many of those loans went to white-owned firms, but anecdotal evidence suggests that African Americans were amply represented in the total.
Over two dozen One Community affiliated businesses (all black-owned) have reported being approved for PPP Loans. Plus, One Community Business Navigators helped nearly 60 African American entrepreneurs apply for and secure loans in Round 1 of the program.
Several other local development organizations also provided hands-on help to black-owned firms pursuing PPP funds, including Pinellas County Urban League and Grow Smarter.
Lolita Dash-Pitts was one of six One Community Business Navigators working with entrepreneurs to secure COVID relief dollars. She was able to secure a PPP loan for her own company – ATILOL Consulting Solutions – and helped 30 businesses to prepare PPP application documents. Of those, several were denied and a dozen decided not to complete their submissions. At least 8 of the businesses she advised were approved for a PPP loan.
Some business owners handled the process on their own, such as Tiffany Moore of Moore Eventful Event Hall. “I had all my paperwork in order, which made it easy for me to file the PPP application myself.” She was approved for Round 1 and is evaluating the new round of PPP funding.
Loans were smaller, on average, for applicants in South St. Pete zip codes; the area accounted for 22% of PPP loans of less than $1,000 and for 20% of loans ranging from $1,000 to $1,999 (versus only 10% of loans over $150,000).
But Development Leaders Say More Black-Owned Firms Should Apply
In all, the One Community team helped 270 black-owned businesses to secure COVID relief business loans and grants, but PPP was the smallest category of awards won.
Dash-Pitts says, “We have a lot of work to do to convince and support more community businesses to complete the PPP Round 2 process.”
According to her, the top three reasons businesses failed to complete the PPP application were 1) distrust that the loans would be forgiven, 2) lack of financial documentation , and 3) misperceptions about PPP requirements.
Many local entrepreneurs were unaware that sole proprietorships and independent contractors were also eligible for PPP loans, as were non-profit organizations, including churches.
The Good News; More Businesses Will be Eligible This Time
Round 2 of the PPP program opened on January 11, 2021, and One Community is helping community businesses to overcome their hurdles in time to submit Round 2 PPP applications by the March 31st deadline.
“Lack of financial documentation was a chief hurdle for too many community businesses last time, but much less so in this go round,” says Gypsy Gallardo, CEO of the One Community Plan and incoming Chair of Grow Smarter, the city’s economic equity strategy.
“One Community partners helped several hundred businesses to get their financial documents in place over the past year. That means that many more African American entrepreneurs and non-profits will be ready to take advantage of the PPP Round 2 program.”
The One Community team is once again teaming up with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, the Florida SBDC, City Urban Affairs division, and others to steer entrepreneurs through the process.
Community partners will host several information sessions on how to secure PPP Round 1 and Round 2 loans.
A first webinar will be on Sunday, January 31st, specifically for childcare providers, beauty salons and barbershops that were grantees under the One Community Microgrant Program last year. Dash-Pitts is teaming up with Faye Watson, President of Up Empowerment Consulting and Training, along with Flora Jackson, Vice President of Business Solutions for Grow Financial Federal Credit Union, to host the “How To” session.
A second One Community webinar takes places on Tuesday, February 9th at 12 noon, formatted as a Lunch & Learn Zoom Session for black-owned firms in diverse sectors. Panelists for the session include Brad Owens, Capital Access Specialist for the Florida Small Business Development Center; Owen LaFave, Market President for Bank of Tampa; Flora Jackson, VP of Business Solutions at Grow Financial Federal Credit Union; and Latifa Jackson, One Community Business Navigator and CEO of Hurst Consulting. (Click here to register for the February 9th session).
In addition, One Community has raised more funding to continue its Business Navigator team to work one-on-one with as many businesses as possible. The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and the City of St. Petersburg are the largest funders of COVID relief services by One Community. Other supporters include Florida Blue Foundation and the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.
To Get Help Applying for PPP
To get help applying for PPP funding,click here and fill in this brief survey. A One Community Business Navigator will follow up with you within 2 business days.
Meet Ricky Dollison, a fourth-generation African American farmer who is the owner of Dollison Farms located in Poulan, Georgia. He is also the owner of a company called Warrior Creek Premium Meats that produces responsibly raised, antibiotic-free bacon, sausage, ground beef, ribeye steaks, pork tenderloins, and chicken leg quarters.
Trey Songz has been arrested following an altercation with police at the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, TMZ reports. The R&B singer, real name Tremaine Neverson, was arrested for trespassing, resisting arrest, and for assaulting a police officer, two misdemeanors and a low-grade felony. He will reportedly be released Monday night after a 24-hour hold. During the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills in Kansas City, Missouri, the R&B singer was filmed being wrestled by a police officer in the stands. According to TMZ, fans who witnessed it allege the cop overstepped. In the video obtained by TMZ, Songz allegedly punches the officer and puts him in a headlock but is then pinned to a seat. Witnesses claim that Songz was being heckled by crowd members a few rows up and when he asked them to chill out, the officer approached. They claim that the officer allegedly got physical without provocation and that Songz defended himself. In the video, people in the crowd can be heard yelling “Get off of him!” and “Arrest the cop!” Vulture reached out to a representative for Songz, who had no comment at this time.
Unveiling in February, Rastafari Fine Artist and Author, Ras Elijah Tafari will be sharing his 2021 Series of Fine Art Works with accompanied poems and explanations. Sharing both new, unseen works as well as previous pieces, all the artwork on exhibit in the AfriKin virtual art gallery are the original pieces, and are for sale and benefit both AfriKin and Ras Elijah Tafari.
Explore the virtual art gallery and join in the celebrating and the furthering of African Arts and Education. Through the art of the times via the artists and the ancestors that inspire them and us. Celebrate Black History Month this month and all year, come and see how AfriKin’s virtual art gallery brings a real experience that will teach and touch you in a new way.
We’re looking for enthusiastic fans of The Weeknd to be part of the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show!
Must be male, 5’5”-5’11”, able to move and follow basic instruction, like a TikTok dance. Must commit to below schedule and mandatory COVID testing (tests will be provided at no cost to you).
Take a look and then register to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience with The Weeknd. Must be local to the TAMPA, FL area. This is a volunteer opportunity.
