Programs
Technology Training for Small Businesses
CARAT is partnering with California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) to offer technology based training to small businesses to aid in operational efficiencies and enhance business profits. The trainings will target California businesses in the Central Valley, East Bay, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego/Imperial Valley Regions. Along with 15 Collaborative partners CARAT will offer 300 trainings between March 2011 and June 2012. The trainings will be a combination of webinars and classroom based. Learn the benefits of using software applications to create websites, market your company on the internet, set up online business accounts, use online social networking to gain customers, and doing business with government entities through e-procurement. Specific training topics are Collaboration Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), E-Marketing, E-Commerce, E-Procurement, Online Communications, Online Financial Management, Purchasing and Inventory Management, and Website Development. More...
Technical Assistance Capacity Building Program (TACP)
The TACP program focuses on establishing performance standards for technical assistance providers in California. CARAT has developed and implemented two pilot TAC programs that benchmark current performance in the industry. The findings are published and available upon request. Currently CARAT is in the final stages of implementing a statewide program that certifies Technical Assistance organizations who meet certain performance standards. The TACP assesses the current operations of the technical assistance providers as well as provides tools for building future capacity. More....
Revolving Loan Fund Capacity Building Program
CARAT provides capacity building training to revolving loan fund operators and CDFI's. Customized training seminars include program design and development, portfolio management, credit analysis, microlending, regulatory compliance and loan workouts and loan recovery management, managing high performance loan funds and loan fund capitalization. More...
Customized Post Loan Technical Assistance Program>
CARAT has designed a Post Loan Business Assistance Program that trains and compensates business assistance providers to deliver financial analysis consulting services to CEDLI's Co-lending borrowers statewide. A financial analysis software tool has been developed to be used by the business assistance providers. More...
Community Partners Program
CARAT has partnered with CEDLI to develop a Community Partners Program. The program is designed to certify and train selected business assistance providers (Community Partners) to package CEDLI Co-Lending loan applications. Community Partners are eligible to receive a loan packaging fee of 1 percent of the loan amount upon loan booking. The California Economic Development Lending Initiative (CEDLI) Co-Lending Program targets loans to emerging businesses that are unable to qualify for conventional bank financing. To date, 48 economic development nonprofits have been certified as Community Partners. CARAT has published a Community Partners Directory with 48 individual profiles, available on CARAT's website at www.caratnet.org/dirform.