We work with many economic development partners and business organizations to leverage community resources.
Entrepreneurs at different stages of education, financial stability and growth need different training, financing and connections. Meda provides direct links to many of the resource organizations in the Twin Cities and throughout the state.
Grant opportunity,
The State of Minnesota is offering a grant opportunity in the following areas: Deadline for applications is Monday December 14, 2020
- Organizations that service small farmers with education, distribution, co-op opportunities in growers, packers, educational or other organizations effected by Coving. Up to $20,000 grants.
- Small Farm grants up to $5,000 for small farmers who have less than 10 employees. Must prove still in business and have been effected by Covid. (grant applications needs to be filled out)
- Employee grants up to $2,000.00 for employees of small farmers who have been laid off as result of Covid and/or need assistance for housing, rent, and living expenses. (must verify previous employment
Contact: Patrick T. Pariseau ppariseau@meda.net or 612 259 6579 for more information
Deadline to apply is December 14, 2020
Catalyst
NONPROFIT PARTNERS
AGC – Associated General Contractors of Minnesota
AWC – Association of Women Contractors
CRF – Community Reinvestment Fund
LEDC – Latino Economic Development Center
NAMC – National Association of Minority Contractors
NCMSDC – North Central Minority Supplier Development Council
NEON – Northside Economic Opportunity Network
NDC – Neighborhood Development Center
Minnesota SCORE – Counselors to America’s Small Business
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Business.Gov – Sponsored Online Community for Small Business
City of Minneapolis – Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED)
City of Saint Paul – Minority Business Development & Retention (MBDR)
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Small Business Administration (SBA) – Minnesota
State of Minnesota – Department of Employment & Economic Development (DEED)
State of Minnesota – Materials Management Division (MMD)
State of Minnesota – Small Business Assistance Office (MNSBAO)
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Minnesota
Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota Hmong Chamber of Commerce
Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce
Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce
EDUCATIONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL PROGRAMS
Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers
Neighborhood Development Center
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (Twin Cities campus)
University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management
University of Minnesota – Law Clinic
University of St. Thomas – Small Business Development Center
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (Small Business Center)
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Metro
Central Community Housing Trust (CCHT)
East Side Neighborhood Development Center (ESNDC)
Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC)
Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD)
Neighborhood Development Center (NDC)
Northside Residents Redevelopment Council
St. Thomas Small Business Development Center
University of Minnesota’s Office for Business & Community Economic Development
Whittier Community Development Corporation (WCDC)
State
Region Nine Development Commission
Financial Resources
Meda business consultants take a customized approach for every financing need. The Meda Loan Program provides working capital term loans and revolving lines of credit ranging from $25,000 to $400,000. These loans and lines of credit may be used for business acquisitions, equipment, project-based financing or business start-ups.
Additonal financing resources include:
ADC – African Development Center
AEDA – Asian Economic Development Association
CRF – Community Reinvestment Fund
LEDC – Latino Economic Development Center
MCCD – Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers
Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota Indian Economic Development Fund
NDC – Neighborhood Development Center
Twin City Metro Certified Development Company
View other business resources from Meda ecosystem partner organizations
Below are some resources that Meda business consultants recommend entrepreneurs check out as they develop their business plans.
Business Planning
SCORE Business Plan Resources – https://www.score.org/business-plan-resources
LivePlan – https://www.liveplan.com/
Online Courses from Top Universities
Coursera Business Classes – https://www.coursera.org/browse/business?languages=en
Free Cloud Bookkeeping
Wave Accounting – https://www.waveapps.com/
Customer Profiling/Identification
ZoomPropector – http://www.zoomprospector.com/
SizeUp – https://www.sizeup.com/
ZipTapestry – http://www.esri.com/data/esri_data/ziptapestry
Reference USA – http://resource.referenceusa.com/
Social Media Marketing
Hootsuite Academy – https://education.hootsuite.com/
Hootsuite Tool – https://hootsuite.com/
Statusbrew – https://statusbrew.com/
Tweriod – http://www.tweriod.com/
Web Design/Hosting
Bluehost – https://www.bluehost.com/
Google Domains – https://domains.google/
StudioPress – http://www.studiopress.com/
Fotolia – https://us.fotolia.com/
The Noun Project – https://thenounproject.com/
Photoshop Elements – http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html
SEO & Web Analysis
Google Analytics – https://www.google.com/analytics/
Google Keyword Planner – https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
Google Trends – https://www.google.com/trends/
Yoast SEO – https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/
Email Marketing
MailChimp – http://mailchimp.com/
Printing & Promotional Items
Vistaprint – http://vistaprint.com
Outsourcing for Beginners
Fiverr – https://www.fiverr.com/