Providing resources and support to Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individuals and Very Small Businesses across the Mid-Atlantic region.

About

TEDCO’s BRIDGE Program was created to provide legal, accounting and financial advisory services to Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individuals (SEDI)-owned businesses and Very Small Businesses (VSBs).

With this additional support, SEDI-owned businesses and VSBs will receive better access to capital, including funds from the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Capital Program and other federal funding opportunities resulting from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and SBIR/STTR funding.

The three-year project will be led by TEDCO in collaboration with SBDCs (MD-UMCP, VA-George Mason University, DC-Howard University), University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and supported by SBDC (Delaware), Delaware Division of Small Business and the Virigina Small Business Financing Authority.

BRIDGE Programs 

  1. Financial Literacy, Credit Repair, and Building (Lead: SBDC) – This is a new program that provides consulting services to help business owners improve credit to better position them for loans and other debt capital.
  2. CDFI Technical Assistance (Lead: TEDCO) – This is a new competitive program that will engage CDFI partners across the region by awarding 8 grants of up to $100K each year to support technical assistance programs managed by the CDFIs.
  3. Back-Office-In-A-Box (Lead: TEDCO) – This is a new competitive program that will provide 3-5 grants of up to $100K to partner organizations that can provide accounting, bookkeeping and other support to companies.
  4. Institute for Women Entrepreneur Excellence (Lead: TEDCO/IWEE) – This funding expands the current IWEE entrepreneurial leadership program to reach more SEDI women and women leading VSBs and better position them for funding.
  5. R/UBII Program (Lead: TEDCO) – This funding will support the expansion of TEDCO’s R/UBII program by adding two additional venture advisors for the duration of the program.
  6. BRIDGE Proposal Lab (Lead: TEDCO) – Based on the successful SBIR/STTR Proposal Lab, this program will broaden proposal support beyond the SBIR/STTR program to other government funding opportunities. This is an opportunity for TEDCO to help technology-based companies be successful with government grants and contracts to take advantage of federal funding opportunities like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and SBIR/STTR Program.
  7. IPEC Free Legal Services (Lead: UMB Carey School) – This funding will support an expansion of the Carey School’s legal clinic, which provides pro bono legal services to entrepreneurs – especially for corporate formation and related business matters.
  8. Loaned Executive Program (Lead: TEDCO) – These funds will expand TEDCO’s Loaned Executive program by allowing for 30 more loaned executive engagements each year.