AWC SBDC wins $150,000 grant to fund 20 bilingual entrepreneur workshops

Arizona Western College’s Small Business Development Center was awarded a $150,000 grant via a partnership between Avenir Financial Credit Union and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco to underwrite 20 no-cost, intensive bilingual workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs. The award, announced January 21, 2026, will fund training aimed at both adults and youth seeking to start or grow small businesses in Yuma County.

The funding will cover a series of workshops delivered in both English and Spanish, designed to provide practical guidance on business planning, financing, marketing and regulatory compliance. Crystal Mendoza, director of the AWC SBDC, explained the programs are structured to give hands-on tools for new and scaling enterprises. Avenir Financial representatives emphasized the investment’s role in strengthening local economic opportunity and community resilience.

AWC’s SBDC was selected from a large applicant pool, and this grant marks a repeat award for the center, reflecting its track record of supporting small-business owners in the region. The center’s focus on bilingual, no-cost education responds to known barriers that bilingual and immigrant entrepreneurs often face, including limited access to financing and language-specific business resources. By removing course fees and offering content in Spanish and English, the workshops aim to lower those hurdles for Yuma County residents.

Local economic implications include potential increases in new business formation and improved survival rates for microenterprises. Small businesses in Yuma, from retail and food services to farm-related suppliers and local services, are important employers and contributors to the county’s tax base. Intensive training that connects entrepreneurs to capital readiness and market strategies can translate into more viable storefronts and payrolls, especially in neighborhoods where language and capital constraints have limited growth.

The grant also targets youth entrepreneurship, which could build longer-term capacity for locally rooted enterprises and job creation. Training younger residents in business basics can help diversify career pathways beyond seasonal work common in the region’s agricultural economy.

Practical next steps for Yuma residents include watching for workshop schedules and registration information from the AWC SBDC. The center will determine dates, locations and enrollment procedures as it begins program implementation. For local officials and community organizations, the award signals both a resource to refer aspiring business owners to and a model for public-private partnerships that channel capital toward inclusive economic development.

For Yuma County readers, the grant means expanded access to free, bilingual business training and a stronger pipeline of locally grown small businesses that could create jobs, widen household income options and keep more entrepreneurial activity rooted in the community.