CHICOSTART AWARDED 2024/2025 ROUND OF THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TAP) – Supporting Underserved Businesses in the North State
Chico, CA – The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) have announced the 2024–2025 recipients of the California Small Business Technical Assistance Program (SB TAP, formerly the Small Business Technical Assistance Expansion Program).
ChicoSTART is proud to be one of more than 100 Technical Assistance Centers in California awarded for its commitment to business consulting and training services for underserved business groups, including women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses, as well as enterprises in low-wealth, rural, and disaster-impacted communities.
This renewed funding will have a direct impact on the North State by providing more tools and resources to help entrepreneurs start, grow, and thrive.
About the Technical Assistance Program (TAP):
TAP is a state-funded program that awards approximately $23 million annually to expand free consulting and low-cost training services through federally and privately funded small business assistance centers. Launched in 2018, TAP focuses on delivering programming and outreach to under-resourced small businesses, including women, people of color, veteran-owned, low-wealth, rural, and disaster-impacted enterprises. Funding is allocated through a competitive process.
Eva Shepherd-Nicoll, Executive Director of ChicoSTART, stated:
“Getting this state technical assistance grant renewed creates critical consistency for ChicoSTART to continue supporting entrepreneurs throughout our region. This program enables one-on-one counseling for startups and small businesses, while also expanding education and training services for underserved communities in the North State.”
For media inquiries about ChicoSTART’s participation in the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) or to learn more about ChicoSTART’s services, please contact:
Eva Shepherd-Nicoll, Executive Director
Email: eva@chicostart.com