Saturday, July 15 is the deadline for Santa Clarita Valley small business owners to apply for the Inner City Capital Connections “Business School Express” program, which provides free training, education and mentorship to businesses seeking to increase their capacity and access new sources of funding.

Sponsored for the second consecutive year by Kaiser Permanente Southern California in partnership with the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, the ICCC “Business School Express” program is designed to promote small business growth in economically challenged urban areas of the SCV, as well as the neighboring San Fernando and Antelope valleys.

Qualified businesses that are accepted into the program will participate in a comprehensive 40-hour business training course focused on strategy, sales and marketing, talent management and entrepreneurial finance. After completing the course, businesses are paired with local business leaders and consultant coaches.

Through ICCC, companies have an opportunity to gain access to much-needed debt and equity capital, which in turn helps these businesses accelerate growth and job creation.

“Kaiser Permanente is looking beyond medicine to improve health in the communities we serve by enhancing social, economic, educational and environmental conditions,” said John Yamamoto, regional counsel and vice president of Legal, Government and Community Relations and Community Benefit for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. “The Inner City Capital Connections program is one way we’re strengthening community health by generating community wealth.”

To qualify for the program, businesses must have annual sales of at least $500,000 and be located in the targeted areas of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and San Bernardino county — or have 40 percent of their employees residing within the targeted areas.

“With a business like ours, it is very challenging to get financing,” said Norwood Clark Jr., who owns Uncle Darrow’s Cajun Eatery, and participated in the ICCC program in 2016. “It gave me an opportunity to see all these folks with a wealth of knowledge and to help me further advance my knowledge in terms of the business arena.”

Businesses interested in participating can learn more or apply for the program here.

About the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
ICIC is a national nonprofit research and advisory organization founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter. ICIC’s mission is to promote economic prosperity in America’s inner cities through private sector investment that leads to jobs, income and wealth creation for local residents. The organization supports urban businesses through a wide variety of Urban Business Initiatives, including the Inner City Capital Connections program. More information about ICIC and its ICCC program is available at www.icic.org.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 11.8 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to kp.org/share.