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<br />I. Services to be Provided <br /> <br />Goodwill is requesting WIA-ARRA funding from the City of Santa Ana for the expansion of its Future <br />Business Owners Program (FBOP). FBOP was developed in 2007 and is a Microenterprise Development <br />Program. Microenterprise is defined as a business with 5 or fewer employees, including the owner, <br />which requries less than $35,000 in start-up capital. The intent of this program is to provide those we <br />serve with tools that will enable them to create and operate fully viable and profitable businesses that <br />give the individual who owns and operates it a source of income, status, and more control over their life. <br />Additionally, the goal of the program is to provide the business owner with a sense of accomplishment, <br />which will improve the quality of the individual's life. <br /> <br />When initially developed the purpose of FBOP was to provide microenterprise development support for <br />individuals with developmental disabilities and thus a special tract of the program was developed entitled <br />"The Customized Employment Options Program" (CEO). CEO takes each individual through a multi- <br />phase process of determining what kind of business makes sense to/for the person and what it will take <br />to create and maintain that business successfully. The four phases of the program are: Discovery, <br />Development, Deployment, and Ongoing support. <br /> <br />As a result of our two years of experience we believe we have come to understand the importance of <br />each phase of the program and have selected a curriculum which would allow us to maintain this <br />structure while expanding the program to other low-income individuals with greater cognitive skills and <br />the ability to work more independently. Goodwill believes that microenterprise provides a unique <br />opportunity for low-income indiviudals that qualify for WIA Adult programs or Dislocated Worker services <br />and looks forward to giving priority service to US Veterans and their spouses. <br /> <br />The following is a detailed plan for the expansion of the Future Business Owners Program. <br /> <br />Goodwill intends to utlize the NxLevel microenterprise training curriculumn for this tract of the program. <br />This curriculumn is 15 lessons, written at a 8th grade reading level in order to take low-literacy <br />participants into consideration, and is also available in Spanish. The program is designed to get the <br />participant thinking about about personal and financial requirements for starting a business and to help <br />them develop marketing strategies, examine operating costs, address legal issues, and project future <br />financial performance. At the completion of the 15 lessons each program participant will have developed <br />a business plan. <br /> <br />During the two years Goodwill has run a microenterprise development program, it has been very clear <br />that not everyone with a business idea is ready to be a business owner. Often individuals do not <br />evaluate the impact starting a business will have on their time, their family, and other personal <br />commitments. In turn they also don't recognize the impact these same issues will have on the success of <br />their business. Acknowledging this fact, Goodwill determined that it was impariative that our expanded <br />system of program delivery provide the opportunity for these issues to "come to light" for potential <br />entrepreneurs. Considering the low-income/disadvantaged status of our program participants we wanted <br />to be sure that this learning process was not a costly one in time and personal or program finances. <br />Therefore we have developed a system of program delievery that will be economical for clients and will <br />ensure that we are focusing our resources on those most likely to succeed. <br /> <br />Initially the program coordinator will be conducting informational orientation sessions in the community as <br />a form of outreach. Goodwill will partner with the Workforce development center, Community Centers, <br />Community Colleges, Libraries and other non-profits to ensure that our orientaitons are accessible to all <br />those who may be interested. These one-hour sessions are designed to inform individuals about our <br />services. The agenda for the orientation will include the following: <br /> <br />Page 1 of 4 <br /> <br />EXHIBIT A <br />