Support Initiative: Resiliency and prosperity

For EconAlliance's Rural/Community Prosperity Initiative work with USDA and Allan Hancock College, click here.

Overview

There are many aspects to the prosperity of a geographical area, with thriving industries and successful, resilient businesses being a key factor. Sometimes, as we saw in 2020, industries and businesses were hit hard by an outside impact mostly beyond their control – the COVID-19 pandemic. In such times, the important interface between the public and private sectors, their cross-communication and partnering, and their support for each other becomes more evident in seeing what it really takes to drive a successful local or regional economy.

As a resource for resiliency and prosperity-building for Northern Santa Barbara County industries, businesses, and communities, EconAlliance has developed partnerships, programs, forums, and resources to assist these stakeholders in sustaining, expanding, and growing.

The Resiliency/Prosperity Initiative is designed to allow EconAlliance to take the opportunities it discovers to meet the North County cross-industry, cross-jurisdictional, and/or cross-domain challenges presented in a strategic, effective way.

General State/Federal/Other Resources for Resiliency & Prosperity-Building

Workshops, webinars, forums and information distribution offering communities, businesses and entrepreneurs relief programs, funding, technical assistance and/or grants, are some of the activities EconAlliance provides under the

EconAlliance partners with the Santa Barbara County office of the SBA Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on  workshops, referrals, webinars, and program support. In 2020, EconAlliance hosted Payroll Protection Program (PPP)

workshops in English and Spanish through the Santa Barbara  County SBDC office. Resiliency/Prosperity Initiative. Example: EconAlliance 2020 Joint webinar with California State Treasurer Fiona Ma regarding the State Treasurer’s Office small business programs.

EconAlliance also engages with other resiliency and prosperity partners (SCORE, local banks, etc.) to provide resources and referrals.

The Rural/Community Prosperity Initiative support by EconAlliance is managed in partnership with USDA and Allan Hancock College (AHC). A collaborative initiative of all Cabinet-level agencies to drive more federal resources into rural areas, the Rural/Community Prosperity Initiative is led by USDA. Northern Santa Barbara County and environs became a community prosperity area (Allan Hancock College Center of Community Prosperity) in 2019, after a joint Rural Prosperity Summit co-hosted by USDA, EconAlliance and Allan Hancock College. In early 2020, after a fall 2019 visit to USDA as part of its North County in DC week, EconAlliance was designated by USDA as a Community Prosperity Council facilitator for the area. Videos for the 2020 Community Prosperity Summit sessions, Rural/Community Prosperity information and more recent Community Prosperity activities can be found here (link to Rural/Community Prosperity).