BAPOC-NH partners up with the Community Navigator Pilot Program
Will Arvelo, Chair for the Business Alliance for People of Color (BAPOC-NH), talks about how the Community Navigator Pilot Program offered up some out-of-the-box thinking, sparking community connections.
The Community Navigator Pilot Program is an American Rescue Plan initiative designed to reduce barriers that underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs often face in accessing the programs they need to recover, grow, or start their businesses. Will Arvelo, Chair for the Business Alliance for People of Color (BAPOC-NH), a non-profit organization that advocates for and promotes New Hampshire businesses owned by people of color, discusses their partnership with the pilot program.
Over the past 30 years, Will Arvelo has worked the public sector in varying capacities, including a past Presidency at Great Bay Community College, his current role as Chair of BAPOC NH and Executive Director of Cross Roads House, along with sitting on several other boards throughout NH. As Chair of BAPOC NH, Arvelo speaks to the fortunate timing and community-building resources provided by the Navigator Pilot Program that have made the partnership successful.
What was the primary focus when you partnered with the Community Navigator Program?
Our focus on participating in the Community Navigator Program was primarily to build out the Business Alignment for People of Color as an organization that reaches the BAPOC communities, specifically around working with BAPOC businesses. The program has been beneficial; we would have had a much more difficult path without the Community Navigator grant.
Timing is everything
Coming out of COVID, the Community Navigator funding was getting into the state. The CDFA was really thinking out of the box and trying to figure out how to connect with community organizations, build out the lines of communication, and provide resources and pathways back into BAPOC communities. The timing was perfect. Organizations like us were building out, and it made sense for CDFA to partner with us through Community Navigator. Navigator is allowing us to build the capacity to grow as an organization to serve this community that's always been there in terms of BAPOC businesses.
Going into these small communities around New Hampshire, there's bound to be somebody who identifies as a BAPOC business person, but they've been on their own working in isolation. BAPOC allows us to bring those voices into a network, building community and advocacy bringing more resources to the table.
What are some of the biggest hurdles the BAPOC community faces when starting a business?
In terms of the situation? You don't know what you don't know. Right?
When you're a small business in a community that doesn't get the attention it should, you have to fend for yourself. And you need the information or knowledge of the available resources. The shift that happened post-COVID and post-George Floyd has brought much of that to light. Not only are more organizations paying attention to all of this, but they're creating programming that wasn't there before. So that's important.
What do partnerships like the one with Community Navigator mean to your organization?
Partnerships have allowed us to build out the organization, build capacity, and serve our members in ways that we typically wouldn't be able to serve them.
One of the outcomes of this is that in addition to our monthly member meetings, we have meetings at our member operations. We'll go around the state and have networking meetings to bring visibility to their businesses. A few weeks ago, we had one at a place up in Rochester for one of our members who just opened her brick-and-mortar. She was happy that we were there for her, showing our support. That kind of connectivity allows this community to come together and compare notes. We always include our partner organizations, and it's important because they're the resources in the communities in addition to us.
The landscape has changed in the last couple of years with all these organizations and businesses focusing on the diversity that we have in New Hampshire, ensuring that our BAPOC businesses get the same level of service as mainstream businesses do. I'm very optimistic about the future as things continue to shift and improve.
BAPOC-NH is a NH non-profit organization that convenes, supports, advocates for, and promotes New Hampshire businesses owned by people of color. BAPOC-NH leverages local, state, and federal resources to expand diversity, equity and inclusion. This will also include wealth building and social capital for the betterment of New Hampshire's minority owned businesses, underserved communities, and economic vitality.
The Community Navigator Program is a statewide initiative to help coordinate efforts to reach out to small businesses that are owned or being started by historically underserved community members, specifically Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; immigrants and refugees; veterans; women; disabled, formerly incarcerated; and LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people. Through the Community Navigator Program, CDFA engages with resource partners and other organizations to support focused outreach for small businesses in underserved communities - building a new network and connections.
The support to these communities is made possible through a network of established microenterprise technical assistance providers, New Hampshire's Small Business Administration office, statewide training and language-access partners, and on-the-ground community partners. Funding for the program is provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration.