Statutory Authorization

STATUTORY AUTHORITY FOR COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM.

SEC. 5004. 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 7(a)(36)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(36)(A)), 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 3(n) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(n))), small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans (as defined in section 3(q) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 632(q))), and socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns (as defined in section 8(a)(4)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(4)(A))).

(6) PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term “private nonprofit organization” means an entity that is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code.

(7) RESOURCE PARTNER.—The term “resource partner” means—

(A) a small business development center (as defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632));

(B) a women’s business center (as described in section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656)); and

(C) a chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (as defined in section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B))).

(8) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN.—The term “small business concern” has the meaning given under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).

(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.