Are you a small business owner in Salt Lake County who's looking for resources to help your business grow? The Salt Lake County Co-op has immense resources and support available to support local businesses.
With the right information, you can access high-quality programs at no cost - giving you a leg up in making sure that your small business is set up for success.
Thanks for your interest in becoming a CO-OP Partner. The 2024 Request for Applications period is now closed.
You can find the 2024 Orientation and the Introduction to Services presentations below.
Business Outreach Partners employ Navigators to engage Opportunity Businesses and connect them with resources, many of which will be provided by CO-OP Business Services Partners. Many of our Outreach Partners are chambers of commerce, but we also work with other community-based organizations.
Business Services Partners work with Navigators and businesses to understand business’ needs and successfully provide relevant assistance. This includes anything from bookkeeping, websites, and strategic planning.
Business Services Partners are paid to assist Navigators and are selected through a competitive process.
Check out some of our exciting 2024 partners and the assistance that they can provide!
CO-OP connects small businesses with free or heavily discounted services through Navigators that work with local community-based organizations. You can get started by calling or emailing a Navigator. Their contact information is provided below.
For 2023, the following services are among a wide range of options with which the Navigators can connect you.
Please feel free to contact any of the Navigators below to get started. While Partner organizations may focus on specific communities, any Navigator will be more than happy to help.
Organization |
Contact Name |
|
Phone |
| GK Folks Foundation | Kaye Thomas | kaye.thomas@gkfolks.org | |
| LGBTQ+ Chamber | Miel Franco Pérez (They|Them) | miel.francoperez@utahlgbtqchamber.org | |
| PIK2AR | Cencira Teʻo | cencira@pik2ar.org | |
|
(Utah African American Chamber of Commerce Charitable Foundation) |
Daisy Hall | daisy@blacksuccesscenter.com | |
| Utah Muslim Civic League | Menna Rashwan | rashwan.menna@gmail.com | |
| Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | Lehi Cruz | lehijcruz@gmail.com | |
| Utah African Chamber of Commerce | Esther Onuoha | estheronuoha72@gmail.com | |
| Utah African Chamber of Commerce | Eugene Emenogu | africanchamberut@gmail.com | |
| The Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST-UT) | Ching Xu | castutcra.xu@gmail.com | |
| The Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST-UT) | Xiaoming Sheng | xiaoming.sheng@gmail.com |
Total 2023 funding for CO-OP Business Outreach is expected to not exceed $600,000, and Business Services amount is expected not to exceed $300,000.
The County anticipates making 10-15 contracts as part of CO-OP. Initial contract amounts will be determined based on applicants' submitted budgets, community need, and overall available program funding. Our goal is to maximize impact and inclusion based on input from all applicants.
CO-OP has approved total funding of $4 million through 2026.
Business Outreach Partners will be reimbursed for the work of their Navigators. Beyond a base rate of $25 per hour. Business Outreach Partners will receive compensation for referrals submitted by Navigator ($50.00 per referral). Business Outreach Partners will also receive compensation for evaluation surveys completed by Opportunity Business ($200 per survey)
See Section II ("Reimbursement") of the Business Outreach RFA for more information.
Business Services Partners will be reimbursed for their staff's work and other costs for delivering services to businesses brought to them through CO-OP, as agreed on by the Partner and County.
Business Services Partners will be reimbursed based on the services provided. Business Services Partners will propose their price for services per Opportunity Business. The County reserves the right to negotiate the price proposal. The final reimbursement amount will be specified on the contract if approved and funded.
See Section II ("Reimbursement") of the Business Services RFA for more information.
NO.
The total contracted amount will be disbursed monthly and will be based on the estimated hours and businesses engaged, the County will offer a contract through December 31, 2023. Following the process described below, the County will disburse payments monthly, with flexibility allowed to increase or decrease payments based on performance and progress toward targets.
See Section V. Cost and Fees of the Business Outreach RFA and the Business Services RFA for more information.
NO.
Business Services Partners and Business Outreach Partners selected for contracts are required by the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to complete certain tasks, mandatory forms, and mandatory reports, provided by the County, for data and tracking purposes.
See Section IV. Tasks To Be Completed of the Business Outreach RFA and the Business Services RFA for more information.
Applicants may perform both outreach and services, with some limitations. The County will not compensate for Business Services when an Outreach Navigator refers a business to their own organization for services.
See Section II (“Reimbursement) of the Business Outreach or the Business Services RFA for more details.
Please note that Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are applicable to the contracts awarded through this RFA. A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), which can be obtained from SAM.gov (full registration not required), will be required to contract with the County. In addition, Partners will be required to agree to the terms of the ARPA funding contract rider attached to the RFA.
Partners must have operated for at least three years and be qualified to provide or facilitate the assistance described in the RFAs.
If a Partner has not operated for at least three (3) years, it must provide justification to support its ability to execute their proposed program for the duration of the contract period.
No, your organization must show the ability to serve Opportunity Businesses in a culturally sensitive way. Partners serving businesses in Opportunity Communities (Opportunity Businesses) will receive favorable consideration, per the evaluation criteria outlined in section VI ("Application Submission Criteria and Evaluation Weight") of the Business Outreach Services RFA for more information.
The CO-OP program is funded through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds awarded to the County; Opportunity Businesses that can be served through this funding will be defined using the eligibility requirements for ARPA.
Opportunity Business Must:
OR
The program is focused on serving Opportunity Businesses in Salt Lake County. Applications that provide a plan for serving these businesses within Salt Lake County will be scored more favorably.
See Section VI ("Application Submission Criteria and Evaluation Weight") of the Business Outreach Services RFA for more information.
Small business ownership is a key to wealth building and overcoming intergenerational poverty. As Salt Lake County supports small businesses, we increase economic opportunity while making our economy or prosperous and resilient.
In 2018 we completed our Business Outreach project, having interviewed over 500 small-and-medium businesses. We have analyzed the data at the municipal level. Find your municipal report below.
Note: if your municipality isn't listed, it is because we were not able to conduct enough interviews in your municipality to generate a report.