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Citibank (Banamex USA) Presents Citigroup Grant to Support Local Entrepreneur Initiative in Los Angeles County (January 2006)

Citibank (Banamex USA) presented The Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP) with a $15,000 check from the Citigroup Foundation on January 10, 2006 in support of API SBP's "Beyond Training" program for low income and immigrant entrepreneur training and counseling activities. With this grant, Citibank (West) and the Citigroup Foundation have given a total of $30,000 to support API SBP programs for 2006.

The Beyond Training program targets individuals who aspire to own a business. The grant covers training and counseling for API SBP clients and the development of a resource booklet to guide entrepreneurs through the pre-venture phases.

API SBP is an SBA (Small Business Administration) Women's Business Center. API SBP counseling is free and available in English, Thai, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese.

Jorge Sandoval, Citibank (Banamex USA) Community Development Director, presented the check stating, "The Citigroup Foundation is honored to support the micro enterprise activities of API SBP which has successfully trained, counseled and encouraged job growth, employment and economic activity in the Asian immigrant communities of Los Angeles County since 1999. All of us within Citigroup share API SBP's goal of helping small business owners, entrepreneurs and those who have been underserved." Cooke Sunoo, Director of API SBP affirmed the role of partnerships in community economic development; "cooperation between the corporate sector and local non profits leverage resources in our communities and economy to achieve lasting results".

API SBP is a collaborative of five nonprofits; Chinatown Service Center, Little Tokyo Service Center CDC, Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans and Thai CDC.

For more information: www.apisbp.org.