Refugee Microenterprise Development (MED) Program

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) invites eligible entities to submit competitive grant applications for the Refugee Microenterprise Development (MED) Program. ORR has supported MED projects since 1991 to a variety of public agencies, community economic development agencies, local mutual assistance associations, and voluntary agencies. The overall goal of the Refugee MED Program is to assist refugees to become economically self-sufficient by1) assisting refugees to establish microenterprise businesses through the provision of MED loans, training and technical assistance (TA), and 2) assist refugees in building credit history and/or repairing their credit score. Allowable activities under the program include TA, maintaining a revolving loan fund (RLF), maintaining a loan loss reserve fund (LLR), and administrative costs associated with managing the MED Program. MED Programs also have the option of providing credit builder loans (CBL) for refugee clients that are intending to pursue an MED loan for the purpose of opening a microenterprise business, but first need assistance in building or repairing a credit history.