FRESNO, Calif. — At today’s inaugural Scale Fresno Investor Summit, more than 50 leaders from the community, philanthropic, and public sectors came together to officially launch Scale Fresno — a first-of-its-kind initiative to grow small business ownership in Fresno County by 30% by 2030, aiming to create nearly 7,000 new businesses across the region.

During the event, The James Irvine Foundation reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive small business growth — a commitment that began with a $1 million investment in SCALE Fresno in 2024. This catalytic funding laid the groundwork for the collaborative effort and reflects the Foundation’s continued focus on expanding economic opportunity, especially for low-income and historically excluded Californians.

“Fresno is showing what’s possible when we invest in the power of local leadership and long-term infrastructure,” said Jessica Kaczmarek, Priority Communities Initiative Director of The James Irvine Foundation. “Scale Fresno is exactly the kind of community-rooted, systems-level approach California needs to unlock inclusive economic opportunity. We’re proud to support this work to help ensure small business ownership is within reach for all Californians.”

Fresno County is one of the state’s fastest growing and most racially diverse regions, but only 20% of its businesses are owned by women or people of color. Despite the region’s diversity, deep disparities in access to capital and ownership persist. Entrepreneurs of color face a $3 billion capital gap, limiting their ability to start and grow businesses. Scale Fresno is designed to close that gap by building an economy where access, ownership, and opportunity are available to all. While the initiative supports all small businesses, it places a strategic focus on entrepreneurs of color, women, immigrants, and first-time founders — groups that have historically faced systemic barriers to capital, mentorship, and visibility.

“Small businesses are the backbone of California’s economy — and that includes the talented entrepreneurs building businesses in places like Fresno,” said Dr. Tara Lynn Gray, Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). “Scale Fresno is doing the critical work of transforming systems and centering equity. This model shows what’s possible when we align around community-driven, coordinated approaches to grow inclusive economic opportunity.”

Scale Fresno brings together more than 20 trusted, community-based partners — many of whom have spent decades supporting entrepreneurs across Fresno County. Through this new ecosystem-wide coordination, longtime partners are aligning their efforts behind the scenes to operate as a unified system. By streamlining tools, referrals, capital pathways, and outreach, Scale Fresno is creating a centralized and consistent support network — ensuring that small businesses can more efficiently access the services and resources they need to start and grow their operations.

“What sets Scale Fresno apart is that it’s not just a program — it’s a coordinated ecosystem built by the organizations that have supported Fresno County’s small businesses for decades,” said Tate Hill, CEO of Access Plus Capital, the convener of Scale Fresno. “We’re investing in the infrastructure that drives small business success: shared data, warm referrals, and aligned capital access. By addressing the fragmentation and inequities that continue to hold back BIPOC and rural entrepreneurs, Scale Fresno can offer a real blueprint for inclusive economic development — in Fresno County and beyond.”

A Blueprint for Impact: Scale Fresno’s Investable Plan

As part of the launch, Scale Fresno introduced its Investable Plan — a clear, fundable roadmap of projects designed to bring this vision to life. The plan outlines dozens of implementation-ready projects aimed at strengthening small business growth through access to capital, capacity building, and community.

“The Investable Plan gives funders, lenders, and public agencies a way to plug into real, shovel-ready solutions — not just vision statements,” said Cody Laird, Chair of Scale Fresno and Business Development Specialist at the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation. “We’ve designed this roadmap with and for Fresno’s small business ecosystem. It’s actionable and ready to deliver results.”

Scale Fresno’s implementation strategy includes the following objectives:

CAPITAL

• Unlock $30M+ in flexible capital for more than 320 Fresno small businesses — including
  loans, grants, and credit-building tools — with a focus on underserved businesses

• $3M in credit enhancements (loan loss reserves, guarantees, etc.)

• 180 microloans under $50K annually, totaling $9 million over 3 years

• $7,000,000 annually in growth-stage loans over $50K for 140 loans over 3 years

• 70% capital deployed to underserved businesses

CAPACITY

• 30% increase in the number of businesses served annually

• New small businesses: Number of EIN applications filed

• 50% of participating entrepreneurs will complete industry-specific training

• 25% of mobile TA visits delivered to rural areas

• Number of businesses receiving digital and financial literacy support

• $ Raised for TA programs

• % of TA services offered in multiple languages

COMMUNITY

• 20% of successful business referrals to ecosystem partners

• 5-7 ecosystem or small business convenings hosted annually

• 450+ total attendees across all convenings over 3 years, segmented by business type and
  demographics

• 70% of attendees reporting increased trust and awareness of the ecosystem

About Scale Fresno

Scale Fresno is a collaborative of more than 20 community-rooted, business-serving partners working together to grow small business ownership in Fresno County by 30% by 2030 — nearly 7,000 new businesses. With a strategic focus on entrepreneurs of color, women, immigrants, and first-time founders, Scale Fresno unites financial lenders, technical assistance providers, and trusted local organizations to deliver inclusive, tailored support. From capital access to capacity building, the initiative is helping entrepreneurs start strong and scale with confidence. More than just a business support program, Scale Fresno is a strategy to build a more equitable economy — one that supports the diverse small businesses powering Fresno County.

Learn more at: ScaleFresno.org

• Scale Fresno Partners

• Access Plus Capital

• Asian Business Institute and Resource Center

• Better Blackstone / Regenerate California Innovation

• CDC Small Business Finance

• Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

• Central Valley Community Foundation

• Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative

• Central Valley Women’s Entrepreneur Center

• Community Vision Capital and Consulting

• Cultiva la Salud

• Education and Leadership Foundation

• Fresno Pacific University Center for Community Transformation

• Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation

• Fresno County Economic Development Corporation

• Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce

• Fresno Native American & Business Development Center

• Fresno Stewardship Foundation

• Hmong Business Incubator Center

• U.S. Small Business Administration, Fresno District

• Vision View/Helping Others Pursue Excellence

• Small Business Majority

• Valley Community SBDC

• City of Fresno – Economic Development Department

• The Fresno Center

View article at: Access Plus Capital