"Helping people, changing lives, and making communities a better place to live."


GOAL: To provide self-employment opportunities for enhancement of family income.

Program offers:

  1. Business assistance for start-up and expansion providing part time or full time employment.
  2. Research and assistance writing business plans.
  3. Business loans in amounts of $100 to $5000.
  4. 27 counties of Partnership for Community Action of Mid-Nebraska.
  5. Training: individual and group pre-business training.
    • Business Plan
    • Credit Investigation
    • Legal Structure
    • Business insurance
    • Marketing
    • Finance
  6. Technical assistance for existing small business
History:
  1. Since inception, program has made 72 loans for a total of $306,295.00 providing 65 full time equivalent jobs.
  2. Current portfolio of 14 loans has balance of $37,000 providing 17 fte jobs.
  3. Co-sponsor two pre-business workshops annually with average of 22 participants.
  4. Partnerships:
    • SCORE
      1. Co-sponsor of group, new business workshops
      2. Referrals for business counseling, technical assistance and lending
      3. National SCORE referral system
    • Central Community College, Hastings, NE
      1. Underwrites costs of new business workshops
      2. Marketing new business workshops
      3. Referrals for new business lending
    • Platte Valley State Bank, Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce and Kearney Area United Way
      1. Cosponsor of 2001 New Business Workshop for Women
      2. Underwrite marketing costs
    • National SCORE Association and US Small Business Administration
      1. Underwrites cost of SCORE Chapter
      2. Provides referrals for email counseling
      3. Provides marketing assistance

Funding for SEED Revolving Loan Fund

  1. State of Nebraska, Department of Economic Development, LB 144 and LB 327, administered by the Nebraska Microenterprise Partnership Fund
  2. USDA Rural Development
  3. Private grants

Business Development Success Story:

"Tom was referred to Mid in 1994 for business assistance. He operated a small retail store in south central Nebraska. He sold for cash and bought his merchandise for cash. He kept a daily record of all sales and purchases. We made Tom a small loan to purchase inventory.

A year later, Tom came to us for another small loan to increase his inventory. We accommodated him. He came back a third time to ask for an increased loan for the same inventory purpose. Again, we made him the load because he had always lived up to his loan contract. During the years that Tom was our customer, he was never late on payments and continued to keep daily, accurate records. His business increased and became more successful. He shared with us that due to his increase in business, it was the first time he had enough income to pay Federal Income Tax."

Helping people that's our business!
*Name have been changed to protect customer privacy.


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