Author: Brian Waters

SBA: $5.4 Million in Prizes Announced to Nearly 100 Awardees to Support Inclusive Entrepreneurship in the Innovation Ecosystem

Today, U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced 84 winners for the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) and eight winners for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Catalyst competition, a new component aimed at spurring investment in underrepresented communities within the innovation economy at scale, receiving a combined total of $5.4 million in awards.  This important…

CFPB: Report Shows Renters at Risk as COVID-19 Safety Net Ends

Stimulus Checks and Other Payment Relief Linked to Renters’ Financial Stability The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today released a report warning that millions of renters and their families may suffer previously avoided economic harms of the COVID-19 pandemic as federal and state relief programs end. The report, “Financial conditions for renters before and during…

HUD: National Healthy Homes Month 2021 Kicks Off

Theme of “The Power of Partnerships” underscores the importance of working with our local partners to improve the quality of homes and communities Every June, National Healthy Homes Month (NHHM) highlights the impact of home-related health hazards and preventive actions families can take to eliminate them. During NHHM, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

EDA: $1.5 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance Invested to Support Small Businesses and the Medical Technology Industry in Michigan

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $1.5 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to help the state of Michigan prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. “President Biden is committed to harnessing the full power of the federal government to ensure our…

EDA: $470,000 Invested to Protect Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from Storms and Support Growth of Cape Cod’s Marine Science Industry

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo today in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $470,000 grant to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to develop a waterfront oceanographic research infrastructure resiliency plan that will help keep the world-renowned research, exploration, and education institution operational in the event…

ABA: Report Shows Addressing Unbanked & Underbanked Challenges Requires Multifaceted Approach

Enhancing existing programs, highlighting no- and low-cost bank account offerings, improving financial education, expanding broadband internet access, and encouraging the opening of bank accounts during government benefit program enrollment will help address the unbanked/underbanked challenge in the United States. A new report, Delivering Financial Products and Services to the Unbanked and Underbanked in the United States…

CDFI Fund: Public Comments Sought on Civil Rights Act Compliance Worksheet

The U.S. Department of the Treasury, as part of a continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). Currently, the Community Development…

CDFI Fund: Pre-Application Webinar for FY 2021 Small Dollar Loan Program Round Scheduled for April 13th

The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) staff will hold an informational pre-application webinar for the Small Dollar Loan Program on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Topics covered will include setting up your critical SAM.gov and Grants.gov accounts, adjusting your organizational profile in the Awards Management Information System (AMIS), and other ways your organization can prepare…

Agencies Seek Wide Range of Views on Financial Institutions’ Use of Artificial Intelligence

 Five federal financial regulatory agencies are gathering insight on financial institutions’ use of artificial intelligence (AI). The agencies seek information from the public on how financial institutions use AI in their activities, including fraud prevention, personalization of customer services, credit underwriting, and other operations. The Federal Reserve Board, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the…