Washington, D.C. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today congratulated Tucson’s Microbusiness Advancement Center (MAC) for receiving a new $120,000 grant from the Small Business Administration. The money will be used to fund small business training to hundreds of applicants over the course of the year who wish to learn about business financing and how to prepare business plans.

This is the eleventh year MAC has been recognized as an official Women’s Business Center. Its training programs, available in Tucson and Nogales, are open to men and women around the state who intend to become small business owners.

The three-year grant and an equal matching fund from the Center will provide scholarships for prospective small business owners who cannot afford the 13-week training program. MAC conducts follow-up interviews with trainees six and 12 months after class completion to track business success.

“This training is an important way for Arizona entrepreneurs to get the skills they need to prosper,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, who sits on the House Education and Labor Committee. “Small businesses are an important part of the social and economic fabric of Southern Arizona, and giving Arizonans a hand on their way to business ownership is a great public service.”

For more information, call MAC at (520) 620-1241.