lbcc biz award

Photo courtesy of LBCC.

The Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) Union Bank Foundation recently awarded Long Beach City College (LBCC) a $300,000 three-year grant to help expand small business and entrepreneurship initiatives, city college officials announced today.

“Economic development is a core part of Long Beach City College’s mission,” said LBCC Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley in a statement. “We thank MUFG Union Bank for this generous grant, which will allow us to develop a stronger entrepreneur ecosystem in our region. It will help small businesses grow, add jobs and create a more robust local economy.”

The grant will support the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Technical Assistance and International Business Accelerator (IBA) programs and The Portal, which is a new LBCC initiative designed for student entrepreneurship through experiential learning and working with clients.

The IBA program was launched in early October this year as a 12-week program on how companies operate globally and enter international markets, according to the release.

“We are pleased to support Long Beach City College in providing entrepreneurs and small business owners with access to resources that can help them start or expand a business,” said Kathy Patoff, chief operating officer of the MUFG Union Bank Foundation in a statement.

LBCC administers the Los Angeles Regional SBDC Network, which provides one-on-one technical advising to small businesses, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and different Workforce Development training programs.

For more information on IBA, SBDC, The Portal or any other LBCC economic development programs, call (562) 938-5020.

Stephanie Rivera is the community engagement editor. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @StephRivera88.