Microenterprise

MICROENTERPRISE FACT SHEET

·	A microenterprise business is defined as one run by an individual that typically employs less than five employees.
·	A microenterprise loan is defined as anything between $500 and $25,000. The average microenterprise loan for an individual is $9,248 and $1,597 for peer lending groups (figures from 1996 Self-Employment Learning Project study).
·	There are currently over 554 U.S. microenterprise programs in all 50 states and Washington D.C. that provide training, loans, or technical assistance directly to microentrepreneurs. These are called practitioner agencies.
·	270 practitioner agencies (88%) provided technical assistance to 40,156 entrepreneurs, and 236 practitioner agencies (77%) provided classroom training to 33,391 individuals in 2000. Most provided both.
·	Microenterprise programs can consist of training services, technical assistance, credit services, and lending programs, in many combinations.
·	Since establishment, programs listed in the 2002 Microenterprise Directory have loaned more than $213 million to entrepreneurs.
·	In 2000, practitioner programs served 99,945 individuals, the majority of whom were non-borrowers who received training or technical assistance. Loans were made to 9,800 individuals.
·	Microenterprise has traditionally been women-centered, although in the U.S. there is greater involvement of men in these programs. Over 62% of programs in 2000 reported a client base of more than 50% women.
·	In 2000, 45% of practitioner programs had a client base of more than 50% minorities.
·	For the year 2000, 70% of practitioner agencies reported that more than 50% of their clients had household incomes below 80% of the HUD median income for their location.
·	The average full-time staff dedicated to microenterprise per program is 4.1 individuals nationally.

*Statistics from the 2002 Directory of U.S Microenterprise Programs, published by Microenterprise Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination (FIELD) and the Aspen Institute, in collaboration with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO).