Marin County is taking applications through August 17 for a free 12-week small business course in Marin City, backed by a $300,000 county contract funded through the Race Equity Action Plan. Graduates can apply for grants of up to $10,000.

Marin County's Microenterprise Support Program is accepting applications through August 17 for a free 12-week small business course targeting Marin City residents — and graduates can apply for grants of up to $10,000.

The program is administered by the county's Office of Equity, housed within the County Executive Department, and operated on contract by the Marin Small Business Development Center. Curriculum covers business plan development, marketing, pricing, and money management. Classes meet Tuesdays 6–7:45 p.m. at the Marin City Library or via Zoom, September 1 through November 17. The cohort is capped at 20 participants.

County staff reports filed through the Board of Supervisors' Granicus portal document a three-year, $300,000 SBDC contract at $100,000 per year, drawn from a $566,000 Economic Opportunity allocation within the county's Race Equity Action Plan (REAP). The Board approved REAP in February 2022; the REAP Implementation Strategy formally authorizing MSP funding followed in January 2024. An earlier scope carried a $250,000 two-year pilot figure — the executed contract extended both the term and the total.

Per county program terms, eligible businesses must have fewer than five employees and under $2.5 million in gross receipts over three years. Specific board resolution numbers for the funding approvals were not available in Granicus records as of this writing.

Applications close at 5 p.m. August 17; notifications go out August 25. Apply at tinyurl.com/ydw8knn9 or contact the Marin SBDC at jode@marinsbdc.org or 415-482-1819.