The multiethnic nonprofit AHANA, short for Asian, Hispanic, African and Native American, helps underserved and underrepresented communities of color achieve business success.
AHANA has grown since its founding in 1998 by expanding its services for multiethnic business owners, including financial literacy help, business counseling and management training. These services can range from QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel training to business certification workshops and guidance in applying for grants or business loans.
With the help of a $100,000 donation from Washington Trust Bank and a $1 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant from Spokane County, the nonprofit was able to buy a building to expand its services. AHANA's new location is at 327 E. Pacific Ave. in the University District and was celebrated with a ribbon cutting in July.
The building includes incubator offices, where business owners can have space to operate from while getting started. Multiple organizations and community groups provide on-site mentorship on topics such as navigating potential contract bids and how to scale up a business.
For many small-business owners, there's a learning curve to reading financial statements and understanding how to run a business productively, says Marvo Reguindin, AHANA's executive director.
"A lot of our businesses start because they found either a niche or a need because they're very good at what they do, but they never really imagined that they would go into business," Reguindin says. "So they didn't go to business school."
He believes the new facility is also a safe place for the culturally diverse business community. It can feel overwhelming and unwelcoming being a person of color in a predominantly white space.
"We have a training center and an incubator center that allows us to provide services in a more safe and friendly environment," Reguindin says, "because our BIPOC businesses may not feel safe downtown."
With the ARPA funds, the organization recently gifted small grants of up to $10,000 to businesses it serves to fund various one-time purchases, including marketing materials, new computers or other needs to scale up their business.
"We took 30% of the full million-dollar grant and gave out $300,000 in grants to small nonprofit organizations to help them also expand," Reguindin says.
The future is bright for AHANA, and Reguindin would like to see the nonprofit someday obtain even larger office spaces to expand its business incubator program and lease space to new businesses. Reguindin says he's happy to see economic development leaders and local governments collaborating with AHANA, and looks forward to further collaboration.
The AHANA Board of Directors is volunteer-run, and the team regularly looks for new members with leadership experience or seeking to gain that experience who understand the mission and values of AHANA. Apply by contacting [email protected] and providing a letter of interest, resume, and two client or employer references.
Editor's note: This story was updated on Aug. 23 to provide the current email address needed to contact AHANA.
