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Economic Mobility Initiative

Powering Businesses, Empowering Our Communities

economic mobility initiatives home

Welcome to the LA County Economic Mobility Initiative (EMI), the County’s one-stop to start or grow your dream venture. We empower LA County small business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits by providing tailored information, technical assistance, and resources from the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO)’s Office of Small Business and best-in-class partner organizations that help you thrive and build generational wealth in our communities. Learn more about how DEO and its partner collaborative can support your success today!

EMI can help you with the following:

 
  • Entrepreneurship Academies program icon

    Entrepreneurship Academies

    As Entrepreneurship Academy participants, early‑stage business owners and entrepreneurs receive cohort‑based education and one‑on‑one instruction from partners across all five Supervisorial Districts. Support includes foundational business training and mentorship. Participants leave with a completed business plan and ongoing assistance to pursue capital and growth opportunities.

  • Technical Assistance and Training icon

    Technical Assistance and Training

    New and expanded programs with the Office of Small Business and EMI partners provide cohort‑based training and one‑on‑one technical assistance to small businesses and nonprofits. These services include those that strengthen operations, develop new revenue streams, support business resilience and viability, and more.

  • Access to Capital and Commercial Space icon

    Access to Capital and Commercial Space

    EMI and its partners supports small businesses, nonprofits, and early startup ventures through the provision of critical capital throught its Small Business Mobility Funds. Presently there are two funds open: Formalization Grants for sidewalk vendors and Launch Grants for businesses opening a new brick-and-mortar space in the unincorporated areas of the County.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACADEMY

Participate in 8- to 10-week cohorts that provide technical assistance, mentorship, and entrepreneurship training.

CANNABIS SOCIAL EQUITY ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACADEMY

Get access to business education and training fundamental to launching or operating a business in the cannabis industry.

YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACADEMY

Join aspiring youth entrepreneurs and build financial and social capital, plus learn how to launch your tech career and entrepreneurship journey.

Learn More about Entrepreneurship Academies

PROCUREMENT ACCELERATOR

Learn how to get certified and competitively bid for government contracts.

Presented by the Los Angeles Area Chamber’s One LA Program.

EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP INTENSIVE

Explore if this is the right option for you and your business and get the help you need to make the transition.

Available through Project Equity.

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE INCUBATOR

Explore revenue-generating options as a nonprofit or level up your existing social enterprise.

Presented by Center for Nonprofit Management and REDF.

Learn More about Specialized Training & Support

COMMERCIAL ACQUISITION FUND

Qualify for grants to support the acquisition of vacant or abandoned land and buildings.

(Not currently accepting new applications)

SMALL BUSINESS MOBILITY FUND

Apply for flexible start-up and scale-up capital for underserved entrepreneurs and business owners.

(Coming December 2024)

LA COUNTY AMERICA’S JOB CENTER OF CALIFORNIA

Explore business tax credits and hiring incentives like subsidized wages.

Learn More about Capital & Commercial Space

Source, Recruit, and Hire Talent

Learn how America’s Job Centers of California can help your workforce grow.

Available through the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Compete for Government Contracts through APEX Accelerator

Explore how you can market your goods and services to government buyers.

Available through the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Get Legal Assistance at Any Stage of Your Business

Receive prioritized access to legal aid and connect with legal experts at no cost.

Available through the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Business Consultants are ready to help you get your business to the next level!

Let us help you with the following:

  • Establishing a Business Structure
  • Cash Flow Management and Evaluation
  • Much More…
Learn More about Individualized Technical Assistance

How to Apply

Step 1: Submit an intake form. For the Cannabis Social Equity Entrepreneurship Academy, please apply directly instead.

Step 2: Get connected with an EMI team member and complete an initial assessment

Step 3: Participate in one or many EMI programs or services that fits your needs

Apply Now

About the Initiative

The Economic Mobility Initiative (EMI) is the County’s strategic investment in integrated, comprehensive support that expands economic opportunity for communities facing barriers to entrepreneurship and business viability, as well as those disproportionately affected by broader economic challenges, including the COVID‑19 pandemic. EMI works to ensure an inclusive and equitable recovery by connecting residents and small businesses with the resources they need to achieve long‑term economic prosperity.

Led by the County’s Department of Economic Opportunity, EMI partners with more than 15 community‑based organizations to provide coordinated access to programs, services, and tools that advance economic mobility, strengthen business and household resilience, support the creation of generational wealth, and help close the gender and racial wealth gap.

 

This program is made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act, Care First Community Investment, and a June 2021 motion introduced by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors that aimed to support BIPOC, women, and other historically disinvested communities in overcoming barriers to small business start-up and growth.

Headshot of Kelly LoBianco. She is smiling with long blonde hair, red blouse, and pendant necklace, standing in a modern hallway with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Kelly LoBianco

Director of the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity

By partnering with community-based organizations and leveraging their expertise, the Economic Mobility Initiative is poised to offer personalized business assistance from the concept stage to growth. This comprehensive support system is designed to catalyze sustainable, multi-generational economic growth.

Initiative Highlights

LA County Launches the Economic Mobility Initiative at the first LA Regional Small Business Summit

The Department of Economic Opportunity and LA County of Board of Supervisors invested $25 million in American Rescue Plan dollars to launch the Economic Mobility Initiative (EMI). EMI focuses critical recovery dollars, expands the capacity of the County’s Office of Small Business with 15+ partners, centralizes access through a hub and spoke model, and offers tailored information, training technical assistance, and capital that mitigates barriers and promotes economic mobility and resiliency for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits.

Read More about National Small Business Week
Public event beneath the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum arch with Olympic rings; speakers on stage and two large video screens.

Recruiting for EMI Entrepreneurship Academies!

We are currently recruiting for Entrepreneurship Academies in all 5 Districts. Sign up for 8-10 weeks of virtual and in-person training and support with our partners at ICON CDC, Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation, Los Angeles Economic Equity Accelerator and Fellowship (LEEAF), and College of the Canyons, LA Regional Small Business Development Center Network, and Antelope Valley Chamber of Commerce. 

Learn More about EMI Entrepreneurship Academies!
A large group of people is gathered together celebrating at what appears to be a graduation or recognition event, with many smiling, raising their hands, and posing enthusiastically in front of a backdrop displaying the logos of ICON CDC, the County of Los Angeles, and the Economic Mobility Initiative.

Tutor D - An EMI Success Story

TutorD Scholars is a hands-on educational platform, teaching urban youth in-demand 22nd Century skills via online and in-person workshops and training courses. As the founder and CEO of TutorD Scholars, as a software engineer with over ten years of experience, Brandon knows that user-centered and easy-to-grasp educational approaches are essential to distinguish an excellent educational product and a life-changing product.

Brandon attended all of the EMI’s Social Enterprise Technical Assistance Training and 80% of the supplementary optional offerings such as the Social Enterprise Certification Webinar and the intro to REDF’s Impact Investments Webinar. Brandon is planning to continue to develop the concept of his social enterprise and apply for funding to support its development.

Presenter at a podium beside a projected slide for TutorD Scholars showing a headshot and the title ‘Founder and Executive Director.

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Los Angeles County - Department of Economic Opportunity home

Phone

(834)432-4900

Email

deo@opportunity.lacounty.gov

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