The Diversity and Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program includes hands-on research and summer internship experiences for Cal undergraduates focused on diverse entrepreneurship and small businesses, along with academic instruction in diversity, entrepreneurship, and California policy. Students receive training and mentorship from Berkeley graduate students and other experts in the field, and an opportunity to present their findings at a research symposia in the fall. The goal of the program is to build a diverse cohort of future civic and political leaders who understand the challenges and opportunities facing women- and POC-owned small businesses and who are committed to promoting entrepreneurship in diverse communities through public policy, advocacy, and other forms of creative engagement.
How Diversity Affects California Nonprofit Organizations
Internship Office: League of Women Voters of California
California is one of the most diverse states in the nation. According to the Public Policy Institute of California no race or ethnic group constitutes a majority of California’s...Read more about How Diversity Affects California Nonprofit Organizations
Paycheck Protection Program: Unequal Loan Distribution and Increasing Racial Disparities
Internship Office: Office of Senator Monique Limon
In 2020, Latinx-owned businesses had their PPP loans approved nearly half the rate of white-owned businesses, 10% compared to 17%. The food service industry remains one of the...Read more about Paycheck Protection Program: Unequal Loan Distribution and Increasing Racial Disparities
Predatory Practices of Food Delivery Giants Against Minority-Owned Restaurants
Internship Office: California Department of Finance
During the COVID-19 pandemic, food delivery giants Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, and Postmates collectively raked in $5.5 billion in revenue from April to September of 2020. Meanwhile...Read more about Predatory Practices of Food Delivery Giants Against Minority-Owned Restaurants
Black Businesses Face the Brunt of the Coronavirus, but Where Is the Aid?
Internship Office: Federal Public Defenders
Black Owned businesses through the pandemic faced hands on the foreclosures, the cut hours and as well the disproportionate distribution of aid . By reviewing Black population census data and PPP...Read more about Black Businesses Face the Brunt of the Coronavirus, but Where Is the Aid?
Oakland’s Cannabis Social Equity Program: Reversing The War on Drugs
Internship Office: Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California
As cannabis becomes more mainstream, the marijuana market could exceed the $70 billion market for U.S wine by 2030. However, many racial minorities are often unable to reap...Read more about Oakland’s Cannabis Social Equity Program: Reversing The War on Drugs
Against Hate and Hardship: How Asian American Small Businesses and Restaurants Have Survived the COVID-19 Pandemic
Internship Office: Office of Assemblymember Alex Lee
Asian American small businesses have had to face both Anti-Asian hate/xenophobia as well as bear the dramatic slowdown in business within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic....Read more about Against Hate and Hardship: How Asian American Small Businesses and Restaurants Have Survived the COVID-19 Pandemic
BIPOC Small Businesses: Surviving and Sacrifice
Internship Office: Governor's Office of Planning and Research and the Strategic Growth Council
The Covid-19 Pandemic revealed a subset of the American population that was particularly vulnerable to not only the health affects of...Read more about BIPOC Small Businesses: Surviving and Sacrifice
The Mountain of Waste: How Small Businesses Have Managed Food Packaging Practices During the COVID-19 Era(link is external)
Internship Office: California Department of Food and Agriculture
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many restaurants to struggle as dining-in no longer became an option, causing a reduction in customers. Restaurants were forced to quickly adjust,...Read more about The Mountain of Waste: How Small Businesses Have Managed Food Packaging Practices During the COVID-19 Era(link is external)
COVID-19 Relief & Recovery: Vietnamese American Businesses in San Jose's Little Saigon
Internship Office: California Department of Education
Limited business operations and low consumer activity have either forced Vietnamese American small businesses to close or leaving them hanging by a thread. A recent February 2021 article...Read more about COVID-19 Relief & Recovery: Vietnamese American Businesses in San Jose's Little Saigon
Asian American Small Business Owners: Inequitable Access to Government COVID-19 Relief(link is external)
Internship Office: Federal Defender's Office
Over the past year with the COVID-19 pandemic, many studies have raised the concern that minority-owned businesses have had a hard time accessing the relief offered from the...Read more about Asian American Small Business Owners: Inequitable Access to Government COVID-19 Relief(link is external)
Cannabis Social Equity: The Battle to Compete in a Competitive Marketplace
Internship Office: CDFA CalCannabis, Department of Cannabis Control
Senate Bill No. 1294 creates funding for a state and local cannabis social equity programs. By examining local policy, speaking to and listening to stakeholders I was able to to...Read more about Cannabis Social Equity: The Battle to Compete in a Competitive Marketplace
Party Planning Businesses You Absolutely Need to Know About
Internship Office: California Department of Public Health
As COVID-19 cases surged all throughout 2020, birthday parties, weddings, and celebrations of all sorts were cancelled. This is a study of how small businesses, owned and operated by...Read more about Party Planning Businesses You Absolutely Need to Know About
Swap Meet Vendors: An Exploration of Neglected Voices
Internship Office: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
COVID-19 has without a doubt
Were they Enough? Cal Relief Grants Battling Gendered Unemployment in the Pandemic
Internship Office: Senator Mike McGuireResearch
The Covid-19 pandemic, unlike past economic downturns, has had a disproportionate effect on women in both the employment and ownership sector. California has poured billions into the economic...Read more about Were they Enough? Cal Relief Grants Battling Gendered Unemployment in the Pandemic
Contract Local! An examination of San Francisco's Local Business Enterprise Program
Internship Office: Congresswoman Doris Matsui
In 1996, Proposition 209 officially banned all consideration of race or gender in public college admission, employment and contracting. While a large amount of research and...Read more about Contract Local! An examination of San Francisco's Local Business Enterprise Program