Wiregrass Minority Entrepreneurship Accelerator — Enterprise, Alabama
Built On Partnership
The Wiregrass Minority Entrepreneurship Accelerator is made possible through the commitment of key institutional partners who share our mission of empowering low-income and minority entrepreneurs in rural Coffee County, Alabama.
Institutional Support
USDA Rural Development stands with WMEA through a Rural Business Development Grant awarded to WWW WASHME TV, Inc. for the Enterprise Rising: Food Truck Entrepreneurship & Minority Business Development Initiative. The award provides the federal funding framework for WMEA’s entrepreneurship training, food-truck business readiness, and minority business development work in Enterprise, Alabama.
The ADPH Bureau of Environmental Services has formally endorsed WASHME TV's food truck entrepreneurship training program, confirming alignment with Alabama mobile food establishment regulations under Chapter 420-3-22. ADPH's partnership ensures every WMEA food truck graduate is trained to operate a safe, compliant mobile food business in Alabama — including preparation for the Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) credential that Chapter 420-3-22 requires a retail food operation's person in charge to hold.
Regions Bank (Westgate Enterprise Branch, 631 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise, AL) serves as WASHME TV's banking and capital access partner, providing WMEA graduates with direct pathways to business checking accounts, community lending products, and financial counseling. Regions Bank's commitment to economic development in Coffee County helps our graduates turn training into launched businesses.
SEARP&DC serves as the designated Local Development District (LDD) for WASHME TV's 2026 DRA SEDAP grant application covering Coffee County, Alabama. As our regional planning partner, SEARP&DC provides expertise in Coffee County economic conditions, application technical assistance, and post-award grant compliance support that strengthens WMEA's impact across the Wiregrass region.
Enterprise Rising builds the foundation: food safety training, business planning and financial literacy. Communities Unlimited (CU), a nonprofit, U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution, is a place for entrepreneurs to go next for capital. We help participants prepare a business plan, budget and loan documents, then refer those who are ready to CU's Entrepreneurship Team.
Direct lending for food truck entrepreneurs →Federal Funding Partner
USDA Rural Development stands with WMEA through a Rural Business Development Grant awarded to WWW WASHME TV, Inc. for the Enterprise Rising: Food Truck Entrepreneurship & Minority Business Development Initiative.
The USDA Rural Development Rural Business Development Grant program—Assistance Listing 10.351—provides the federal funding framework supporting WMEA’s work to expand entrepreneurship training, food-truck business readiness, minority business development, and rural economic opportunity in Enterprise, Alabama. The award supports the approved project period of October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
USDA Rural Development’s support validates the public-purpose value of Enterprise Rising and enables WMEA to implement its approved work plan with federal oversight, accountability, and measurable outcomes. The award supports program operations that help aspiring and existing entrepreneurs strengthen practical business skills, pursue viable mobile-food enterprises, and build pathways toward self-employment and local economic participation.
USDA’s role includes:
WMEA recognizes USDA Rural Development as a vital institutional funding partner. The organization’s grant records confirm that the required grant documents, including the Request for Obligation of Funds and Rural Business-Cooperative Service Financial Assistance Agreement, were executed and maintained as part of the award’s authorization process.
This partnership is more than financial support: it creates a structured platform for WMEA to deliver accountable, community-centered entrepreneurship services that can strengthen small-business capacity, workforce readiness, and economic resilience in Enterprise and surrounding rural communities.
Direct Lending Partner
Enterprise Rising builds the foundation: food safety training, business planning and financial literacy. Communities Unlimited (CU) is a place for entrepreneurs to go next for capital. We help participants prepare a business plan, budget and loan documents, then refer those who are ready to CU's Entrepreneurship Team. The team offers one-on-one coaching on financial projections, recordkeeping and capital readiness.
CU is a nonprofit, U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving Alabama and six other southern states. It lends directly to small businesses, including startups. Loans range from $1,000 to $200,000 and can fund working capital, equipment, inventory and business acquisition. CU's coaching has helped entrepreneurs in the region become loan-ready, including one who secured SBA-backed financing for a food truck launch.
CU requires:
Loan terms are set by CU, and approval isn't guaranteed.
Alabama entrepreneurs: call or email the main office and ask for the Entrepreneurship Team about Alabama small-business loans.
Interested in becoming a WMEA partner or supporter? We welcome institutions and businesses who share our commitment to minority entrepreneurship in the Wiregrass region.