SBAC Empowerment Foundation

Lighting the path to small business ownership

aka SBAC Empower   |   CHICAGO, IL   |  www.sbacempower.org

Mission

Promote entrepreneurship and small business development in economically-challenged communities throughout the Chicagoland area.

Ruling year info

2016

Founder

Mr. Scott Baskin

Main address

3033 N Clark Street

CHICAGO, IL 60657 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

81-1699104

NTEE code info

Economic Development (S30)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. 77 to be exact. Some of these neighborhoods face serious economic challenges. The path forward requires that these communities establish and maintain businesses that employ and serve their residents. Growing jobs and wages in these neighborhoods is the key to change. SBAC Empower is a nonprofit organization established to encourage small business ownership through education and support. We partner with community leaders in disadvantaged neighborhoods across Chicagoland offering a Mentoring Program, Speed Coaching Sessions and an Online Resource Portal to anyone requiring assistance with starting and/or growing their small business. Additionally, we partner with local financial institutions to assist in obtaining small business loans.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Mentoring Program

SBAC Empower has established a Mentor Program to offer mentoring to entrepreneurs needing guidance in their first year. Mentors are partnered with Mentees in economically challenged communities at no cost.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Ethnic and racial groups

Where we work

Awards

Non Profit of the Year Award 2019

Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC)

Affiliations & memberships

SBAC 2017

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of participants who gain employment

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Social and economic status

Related Program

Mentoring Program

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

OUR PASSION is to promote entrepreneurship and small business development in economically-challenged communities. We partner with community leaders in disadvantaged neighborhoods across Chicagoland to help entrepreneurs acquire the skills required to start their own business. We are the bridge to education and support that empowers entrepreneurs to build communities.

SBAC EMPOWER rebuilds economically challenged communities by supporting the establishment of new businesses that create employment opportunities, destination branding and goodwill across Chicago’s business community. Our goal by 2022 is to have helped 500 business in 10 communities.

GOALS OF SBAC EMPOWER by 12/31/2022
1. Operate as a sustainable economic opportunity
2. Add 2 Board members
3. Rethink and develop a family foundation strategy to obtain 3 grants
4. Develop a fundraising plan for 5 neighborhoods
5. Identify and target 25 businesses (5 per neighborhood) for sponsorship, Empower and grant conversations
6. Develop/execute plan to create 5 additional mentee partnerships

Mentor and Speed Coaching Program to assist entrepreneurs and small business owners - specifically targeted to those in economically-challenged areas.

Partnering with local business chambers
SBAC affiliation
SBAC Empower Resource Portal

Began Mentoring Program in North Lawndale community
Partnering with major organizations on the South Side of Chicago to implement our Mentoring and Speed Coaching Program.
Partnering with Community Colleges in Lake County.
Mentor program with Cook County Jail
Mentoring Program with South Shore Chamber of Commerce

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Under-served or economically challenged communities in the Chicagoland area

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Community meetings/Town halls,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection,

Financials

SBAC Empowerment Foundation
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

SBAC Empowerment Foundation

Board of directors
as of 2/11/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Scott Baskin

MC LLC

Term: 2017 - 2021

Paul Detlefs

Prestwick Group

Elliot Richardson

Korey Richardson Law

Iris Marreck

What A Great Website

Vic Miceli

Des Plaines Office Equipment

Scott Baskin

Patricia Zikmund

SBAC

Walter Mendenhall

Male Mogul Initiative

Lisa Meredith

ProVisors

David Davis

Davis Audio

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 07/01/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 07/01/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.