Small Business Initiative

The NSEDC Small Business Initiative is an avenue for individuals to promote and develop business ventures in an effort to help alleviate social and economic issues facing the Norton Sound region.  The NSEDC Small Business Initiative is patterned after the Alaska Federation of Natives highly regarded “Alaska Marketplace” and is aimed at identifying and funding business ideas that will stimulate and facilitate economic development in the Norton Sound region. 

After a series of reviews and interviews by an independent panel of judges, selected entrepreneurs will present their ideas to the same independent judges in person for the opportunity to be awarded a grant of up to $35,000. The application period generally opens in mid-April and closes in mid-July.  The application evaluation and judging process takes place in August and September, with award recipients notified by October.  The 2011 award recipients will present their business at the Bering Strait Regional Conference in 2012.

Information on the 2011 grant recipients, announced Oct. 11, can be found here (scroll down).

Below are helpful documents for those interested in applying for the SBI. The 2011 application is linked as a pdf file to serve as a guide for prospective applicants. Please note that the 2011 application should only be used as a rough guide since the 2012 application may differ.

2011 Small Business Initiative Application (For study purposes only)

2011 Small Business Initiative Brochure

For more information, please contact:

NSEDC Nome P.O. Box 358 Nome, AK 99762 Phone:  (888) 650-2477 Fax: (907) 443-2478

NSEDC Anchorage Yvonne Galsy Ashenfelter 420 L Street, Suite 310 Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: (800) 650-2248 Fax: (907) 274-2249

NSEDC Unalakleet Paul Ivanoff, III P.O. Box 193 Unalakleet, AK 99684 Phone:  (800) 385-3190 Fax: (907) 624-3183

Other Resources Available

• Kawerak, Inc. Community Planning and Development
  Contact: (877) 219-2599
  
  
• State of Alaska Small Business Center
  Contact:  (907) 269-8104
  
  
• Alaska Small Business Development Center
  Contact: (800) 478-7232
  
  
• SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
  Chapter 558: Counselors to America's Small Business
  Contact: (800) 755-7304
  
  
• AKSourceLink
  Linking Alaska's small businesses to the right resource at the right time
  

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