15 U.S.C. § 9013 (COMMERCE AND TRADE)
§ 9013. Community Navigator pilot program
(a) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Administration
The term “Administration” means the Small Business Administration.
(2) Administrator
The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
(3) Community navigator services
The term “community navigator services” means the outreach, education, and technical assistance provided by community navigators that target eligible businesses to increase awareness of, and participation in, programs of the Small Business Administration.
(4) Community navigator
The term “community navigator” means a community organization, community financial institution as defined in section 636(a)(36)(A) of this title, or other private nonprofit organization engaged in the delivery of community navigator services.
(5) Eligible business
The term “eligible business” means any small business concern, with priority for small business concerns owned and controlled by women (as defined in section 632(n) of this title), small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans (as defined in section 632(q) of this title), and socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns (as defined in section 637(a)(4)(A) of this title).
(6) Private nonprofit organization
The term “private nonprofit organization” means an entity that is described in section 501(c) of title 26 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such title.
(7) Resource partner
The term “resource partner” means—
(A) a small business development center (as defined in section 632 of this title);
(B) a women’s business center (as described in section 656 of this title); and
(C) a chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (as defined in section 637(b)(1)(B) of this title).
(8) Small business concern
The term “small business concern” has the meaning given under section 632 of this title.
(9) State
The term “State” means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam, or an agency, instrumentality, or fiscal agent thereof.
(10) Unit of general local government
The term “unit of general local government” means a county, city, town, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State.
(b) Community Navigator pilot program
(1) In general
The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall establish a Community Navigator pilot program to make grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, private nonprofit organizations, resource partners, States, Tribes, and units of local government to ensure the delivery of free community navigator services to current or prospective owners of eligible businesses in order to improve access to assistance programs and resources made available because of the COVID–19 pandemic by Federal, State, Tribal, and local entities.
(2) Appropriations
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Administrator for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $100,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022, for carrying out this subsection.
(c) Outreach and education
(1) Promotion
The Administrator shall develop and implement a program to promote community navigator services to current or prospective owners of eligible businesses.
(2) Call center
The Administrator shall establish a telephone hotline to offer information about Federal programs to assist eligible businesses and offer referral services to resource partners, community navigators, potential lenders, and other persons that the Administrator determines appropriate for current or prospective owners of eligible businesses.
(3) Outreach
The Administrator shall—
(A) conduct outreach and education, in the 10 most commonly spoken languages in the United States, to current or prospective owners of eligible businesses on community navigator services and other Federal programs to assist eligible businesses;
(B) improve the website of the Administration to describe such community navigator services and other Federal programs; and
(C) implement an education campaign by advertising in media targeted to current or prospective owners of eligible businesses.
(4) Appropriations
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Administrator for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $75,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022, for carrying out this subsection.
(d) Sunset
The authority of the Administrator to make grants under this section shall terminate on December 31, 2025.
(Pub. L. 117–2, title V, § 5004, Mar. 11, 2021, 135 Stat. 90.)
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: Codification
text: Section was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and not as part of the CARES Act which in part comprises this chapter.