The City of Portland’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Allocation Committee revealed on Thursday that they have made a preliminary recommendation to direct $136,000 to a “Immigrant-Owned Business Accelerator” program.
The CDBG Allocation Committee recommends the allocation of federal funds to city projects through an annual competitive selection process, by which applications for funding are reviewed and scored.
Final recommendations for funding are determined and voted upon by the Portland City Council.
During their Thursday meeting, Portland Housing and Community Development (HCD) program director Rowen McAllister presented a spreadsheet showing the committee’s preliminary rankings and recommended funding for certain programs.
The spreadsheet shows the CDBG Allocation Committee has made a preliminary recommendation to grant $136,607.85 to the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC).
According to the IWC’s application to the committee, the funding is for a project entitled “Immigrant-Owned Business Accelerator.”
The “Immigrant-Owned Business Accelerator” is made up of three initiatives: Women Lead, a “comprehensive entrepreneurship training program for immigrant women;” “Digital Business Starter Kits” providing various hardware and software for creating an online business, as well as a year of training and “unlimited tech support;” and an additional $5,000 grant program.
Women Lead is a program created in 2023 through Congressionally directed funds by Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01) designed to “move immigrant women into business ownership.”
The program is slated to give 50 hours of entrepreneurial instruction offered at no charge to four cohorts of fifteen immigrant women in 2024-2025, according to the application.
The second part of the IWC’s initiative is aimed at supporting 24 immigrant-run startups with a “Digital Business Starter Kit.”
According to the application, the starter kit includes:
“In one box, aspirational businesses receive a free Chromebook or equivalent device, handheld tablet, router gateway/wireless, printer/scanner/copier, desktop VOIP telephone, multifunction desk lamp/inductive charging station, power surge strip and Cat5e network jumper cables. The package comes with a two-year license for the Office 365 software suite, VOIP phone service, a ZOOM Meeting account, website hosting, and one year of on-call tech support – everything needed to connect to the internet, build a business web site, create a Facebook page, promote themselves on Instagram, receive online and telephone orders, track sales, create fliers, pay taxes and fees, and manage their finances.”
The third IWC initiative, “Microenterprise Startup Grants ,” proposes to disburse grants of $5,000 to up to 16 “immigrant businesses” through a competitive process.
When HCD program director Rowen McAllister shared the spreadsheet showing the committee’s preliminary funding recommendations during the Thursday meeting, HCD division director Mary Davis expressed that she did not want the recommendations to be made public.
“I would prefer that you not talk about how these are ranked yet until we know for sure how the funding will play out,” Davis told the CDBG Allocation Committee.
“I don’t want to have rumors and speculations starting earlier in the community about what the recommendations are gonna look like,” Davis said.
“It is a public meeting, so it’s not like someone couldn’t look at the video and see the discussions and see the draft scores. I just would prefer that it not be — I don’t want it to get out like it’s a done deal because we’re really just at the beginning part of the process,” she added.
McAllister stated that the committee’s official rankings of the proposals and funding recommendations will be made available in mid-February, and will then be subject to approval by the City Council.
Bring them all in. We will use your own tax payer dollars and bring in tens of thousands of permanent Democrat voters. The right constantly talks about “don’t tread on me”, but our boot is literally on your faces and there ain’t nuttin’ you can do ’bout it.
“Boot on your face! Big disgrace! Kickin’ the GOP all over the place!”
“We WILL! We WILL! Replace YOU!”
Your government hates you and wants to replace you.
And the city is looking at increasing property taxes by 9.5%?
We love trolls such as Connor. We know the CCP has allowed 400,000+ exchange students to infiltrate our universities to steal whatever trade secrets they can. There are thousands of military age Chinese Nationals crossing the border with Fentanyl to poison our people and they created a bioweapon disguised as a virus in Wuhan that killed millions worldwide. What’s not to like about a communist hegemon?
Hey look, it’s Commie Conner.
We are not hiding it. We know we have to move fast, that is why Maine DSA alongside Democrats are passing bills to solidify the North East. We are just lucky that Maine there is zero resistance from the people and the GOP. New Hampshire is just a bump in the road. Once we have the southern red states surrounded, we’ll cut them off and sanction them to oblivion. Socialism is defeating Capitalism and it is beautiful to watch.
Mark my words, every one of you has children in your family that entirely side with us. Every new graduation year we have a tsunami of Marxist trained activists. They serve one purpose and that is not working for a mindless Corporate job. We will and are De-Colonizing the west. We are ending Capitalism as you know it.
15 million immigrants this year, that is about 5% of American’s population and most of them are from Socialist countries who will side with us. Especially when we offer them your money and possessions.
Check mate
Sure Buddy…lol
Why not start with making them work to beautify the community that’s housing them in order for them to collect ‘FREE’ benefits. Have them rake leaves, shovel snow, pick up trash, paint over graffiti, sweep the sidewalks, wash windows, etc. etc.
Conor, once all of the productive workers are gone, you will only have the crumbs the state allows you to eat. That’s if you survive the purge that happens every time communism is tried.
A continuation of the repulsive, illegal, and discriminatory government policy initiatives against its legal citizens. I am ashamed of the destructive direction that elected officials at all levels are taking this country. I fear that we are one election away from any reasonable salvation. It has taken years of infectious policies in our government-controlled and directed educational system to indoctrinate its most vulnerable to not see the truth and realities in what they were taught.
How many ways can you skin a cat?
Overconfidence is tricky – many chances to backfire.
Portland’s tax increase was avoidable – Note: Dion was chair of the Finance Committee for the last 3 years and he is just now raising issues about spending?
I predict a large turnout of Blue Dog Democrats in response to these taxation issues. And almost all
independents. And of course the GOP is all about cutting taxes. Could be a year of pruple donkeys.
Sure, Portland will look like downtown Lewiston in no time! Destroying US cities, with your tax dollars.
ME Infidel Look up who else besides weed growers sell products in Maine. Look up what the CCP own in Maine .
Steve Schnall (deceased) and Quontic Bank would have loved getting into this deal. Too Bad the Chinese killed him… This will only be another cluster of illegals skirting the laws we all have to follow. I’d love to open a business in Portland with all this money they offer to non-citizens. Maine illegal Marijuana Growers are sending tons of cash to payoff Evergrande debts…in China