While many Americans dream about starting their own businesses and have the necessary skills and motivation to do so, lack of business expertise and access to credit often prevent them from realizing their dreams. Recognizing this untapped potential, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration, teamed with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to create a demonstration project designed to assist people in creating or expanding their own businesses—Project GATE (Growing America Through Entrepreneurship).

Project GATE was designed as a random assignment demonstration to evaluate the effectiveness of a new self-employment model delivered through One-Stop Career Centers. Specifically, Project GATE provided assessment, training, and technical assistance to individuals who are interested in starting or growing a small business. Multiple organizations, selected using a competitive process, provided these services to program participants in five demonstration sites: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Northeast Minnesota, and Maine (Portland, Lewiston, and Bangor). The results from the interim report suggest that Project GATE could be replicated on a wider scale. The final report (net-impact analysis and benefit-cost analysis) will help address whether Project GATE represents a viable program; whether it is cost effective in promoting self-employment, generating new businesses, and promoting community economic development; and whether it can be replicated on a larger, national scale.