Frequently Asked Questions
The Economic Mobility Initiative (EMI) is a program launched by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) in collaboration with 15 local community-based organizations. Its purpose is to help LA County communities significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by improving access to resources for people who want to start or grow small businesses or nonprofits.
You can think of EMI as your partner in success! We help aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and nonprofits access various resources and services that can help them start or grow their dream venture.
Here’s generally how it works:
Step 1: You signal your interest in EMI by filling out the intake form on our site.
Step 2: Using the information you provided in your intake form, an EMI representative will contact you directly to answer any questions you may have about EMI and assess your specific needs and challenges.
Please Note: Depending on the volume of interest we’re receiving, it may take several days or weeks for us to contact you.
Step 3: Once the EMI representative has a clear understanding of the service and resources you are interested in and eligible for, they will connect you with the appropriate local community-based partner who will provide the services and resources you need.
To participate in EMI, you must be 18 years of age or older and either:
- Looking to start or grow a business or nonprofit located in LA County.
- An LA County resident interested in enrolling in an Entrepreneurship Academy.
Beyond this, eligibility requirements vary for each service and resource provided under EMI. When you submit your intake form, you’ll be connected with a representative who can assess your needs and eligibility for specific services and resources.
If you’re planning to start a business without a physical location, you can use your LA County home address as your business address.
For online business owners who already have a business license, the address listed in your license must be in LA County.
We support participants in three key areas:
(1) Technical Assistance and Training,
(2) Access to Capital and Commercial Space, and
(3) Entrepreneurship Academies.
Our About EMI page provides an overview of the types of assistance offered in these areas, but it does not list all of our specific services and resources.
To learn more about how EMI can support you, we recommend filling out our intake form. An EMI representative can assess your specific needs and provide more information on the services and resources available to you.
EMI can help you start or grow your dream business or nonprofit by providing technical training, curriculum-based education, mentorship, access to capital, and much more.
Plus, it’s at no additional cost to you! To get started, all you have to do is submit
our intake form.
Yes! EMI is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). In other words, you’ve already paid for these resources and services with your taxes.
An entrepreneur is anyone who independently owns and operates a business or nonprofit organization, whether online or in a physical location. EMI provides support to both aspiring and existing entrepreneurs who are looking to start or grow their ventures.
A small business is an independently owned and operated enterprise that is relatively small in size compared to larger corporations. It can be for-profit or nonprofit. You are generally considered a small business even if you’re the only employee working for your company.
That said, the definition of “small business” can vary between organizations. We recommend submitting our intake form to be connected with an EMI representative who can fully assess your eligibility for specific services and resources under EMI.
Some resources and services are available to LA County residents regardless of immigration status. Since eligibility requirements vary for each service and resource provided, we recommend filling out our intake form to be connected with a representative who can better assess your eligibility.
Please Note: Our intake form does not require or capture information regarding your immigration status.
We recommend submitting our intake form to connect with an EMI representative who can answer all your questions and assess your eligibility for any EMI services and resources.