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In the song "Coat of Many Colors" by Dolly Parton, a mother uses various pieces of cloth to make a coat for her daughter. Trying to put together funding from a variety of small monetary funds is similar to patchwork outfits and has forged new partnership and creative funding blends. The following possible financial resources can be stitched together to help people with disabilities, particularly American Indians, achieve employment goals and stressed organizations better stretch their dollars:
Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (TVR): Every five years TVRs compete for the funding that gives them the flexibility to fund things that traditional vocational rehabilitation agencies might not. A listing by state is at www.car.org.
State Vocational Rehabilitation: These agencies can fund job training and experiences and provide subsidies to employers to allow worker to train for jobs.
Veterans Administration Vocational Rehabilitation: Typically, this agency funds people getting a job but it also can assist with treatment, independent living equipment, and other needs.
Workforce Investment Act One-Stops: Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act to consolidate employment programs in 1998. Besides its many employment listings, this agency will fund basic services or items needed for work or to start a business. It also provided training.
Unions and Trade Adjustment Assistance Act: Find out information about this agency that provides financial assistance to people starting a business or getting retraining from a local One-Stop.
Social Security Administration PASS Plan: If receiving or eligible for Supplemental Social Security Income, this program allows people with disabilities to set aside extra money to achieve a work goal while still getting benefit checks.
State apprenticeship programs: Many states have apprenticeship programs that pay people with disabilities for learning a new profession.
Tribe specific organizations: Many tribe shave business grants and lending programs such as the Lakota funds; Four Times Foundation (Blackfeet, Northern Cheyenne, Rosebud Lakota, White Earth Ojibwe, Zuni); Four Directions (Maine tribes), and First National Oweesta Fund.
Bureau of Indian Affairs: The Bureau can make loans or guarantee loans.
Lending Circles: When a small group of people pool money to start a business, the profits go to start a second business, and so forth. This is similar to revolving loan funds where money is recycled to fund new businesses.
Catholic Bishops Campaign for Human Development: Grants are available from this program to fund feasibility studies.
Small Business Development Centers and Tribal Business Information Centers: Each state has this program that offers technical assistance with writing business plans and determining marketing needs.
Personal bank loan: Often PASS money can be used to repay these loans.
Full or limited partner: Partners can help with funding a business.
Business within a business: Often, one business can showcase the products or services of another business.
Individual Development Accounts: Available through TANF programs and some housing programs, this program allows people to save earnings while still receiving benefits or rent assistance.
United States Small Business Administration: This agency provides loan guarantees, micro loans, and minority loans. See www.sba.gov.
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Katz, M. (2005). What we can learn from Dolly Parton: Funding self-employment in Indian country and elsewhere. The Rural Exchange 18(2), 4-9.
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