[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 135 (Friday, July 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42533-42534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15172]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Data Collection Available for Public Comments

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to seek approval 
from the Office of Management

[[Page 42534]]

and Budget (OMB) to conduct the data collection activities described 
below. The Paperwork Reduction Act requires federal agencies to publish 
a notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information to OMB, and to allow 60 days for the public to comment in 
response to the notice. This notice complies with such requirements and 
announces the SBA's proposal to conduct a survey of small business 
executives who participated in the SBA's T.H.R.I.V.E. Emerging Leaders 
Reimagined program.

DATES: Submit comments on or before September 13, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: JoAnn Braxton, Office of 
Entrepreneurial Development, 409 3rd St. SW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 
20416, or Curtis B. Rich, Management Analyst, 202-205-7030, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a request for revisions of an 
approved collection (OMB number: 3245-0394). The SBA Emerging Leaders 
(EL) initiative was designed to strengthen and grow existing local 
entrepreneur communities in historically distressed cities. The key 
goals of the program are to (1) increase small business growth and 
survival, and (2) promote economic growth in distressed communities by 
providing employment opportunities as well as necessary goods and 
services. To achieve these goals, the program offers executives of 
high[hyphen]growth small businesses a five[hyphen]month executive 
leader education series, free of charge, that provide the networks, 
resources, and knowledge required to promote a sustainable business 
growth, create jobs, and contribute to the economic well[hyphen]being 
of local communities. In 2022, the program was revamped under the new 
name, T.H.R.I.V.E. Emerging Leaders Reimagined. The revised program 
provides training that customizes content for small businesses' unique 
needs, increases accessibility through a virtual component, and 
specifically promotes business ecosystem connections among business 
owners, government agencies, and the financial community. This 
information collection is necessary for SBA to understand the progress 
made by the T.H.R.I.V.E. program toward achieving its goals.
    The evaluation will be used to track participants' business growth, 
to provide guidance to the program training contractor on areas for 
additional assistance, and to increase SBA's understanding of the 
program outcome trends. This evaluation aims to examine the program 
participants' business growth outcomes including revenue, profits, job 
creation, and business survival. The evaluation also describes the 
population of program participants--their businesses, business 
management practices, experiences with the program, and satisfaction 
with and perceived effectiveness of the program. Over the previous 
years, the evaluation results have helped to track the program 
performance outcomes and provide suggestions for program improvements 
to better facilitate small business growth. The results are also 
expected to provide suggestions for improving future evaluations.
    The following surveys are conducted with the program participants: 
(1) the application form before the program enrollment, (2) the intake 
survey before the training, (3) the module feedback form during the 
training, (4) the feedback survey right after the graduation, and (5) 
the follow-up survey annually up to three years after graduation. The 
application form examines the eligibility status of the enrollees, 
obtains their contact information, and asks for their business goals. 
The data from the Intake survey is used to determine baseline levels of 
business outcomes, the use of management practices, and the extent to 
which the target population for the program is reached. The module 
feedback form assesses the participants' experience with each of the 
eight modules of the training program. The feedback survey is used to 
measure participant satisfaction with the training activities and to 
suggest training adjustments, if necessary. The annual follow-up survey 
tracks changes in the small business owner's management practices and 
business outcomes for three years after graduation from the program. 
The data collection covers four cohorts of program participants. The 
given year participants complete the application form, intake survey, 
module feedback, and feedback survey. The three cohorts of participants 
who graduated from the program one, two, and three years prior complete 
the follow-up survey.

Solicitation of Public Comments

    SBA is requesting comments on (a) Whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the agency to properly perform its 
functions; (b) whether the burden estimates are accurate; (c) whether 
there are ways to minimize the burden, including through the use of 
automated techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) 
whether there are ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information.

Summary of Information Collection

    PRA Number: 3245-0394.
    (1) Title: SBA Emerging Leaders.
    Description of Respondents: Small business executives who 
participated in the SBA's Emerging Leaders Reimagined program.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 5,644.
    Total Estimated Annual Hour Burden: 4,851.

Curtis B. Rich,
Agency Forms Manager.
[FR Doc. 2022-15172 Filed 7-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8026-09-P