Two agencies receive grants

Two Spokane agencies have received federal grants to spur growth of low-income and minority-owned businesses.

Providing the money is the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, a federal agency focused on encouraging business growth in lower-income areas.

AHANA Business Education and Training Program has won a $45,700 grant to develop a fund to help minority entrepreneurs.

The money will go toward developing a plan to provide loans to such businesses in Spokane, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties. Some of the money will also purchase software to help the nonprofit track and administer its programs, said Executive Director Ben Cabildo.

The second grant, for $33,000, goes to Spokane Neighborhood Action Program (SNAP). The nonprofit economic development agency will use the money to provide low-income loans, business grants and home-repair assistance.

SNAP will administer those funds through a program called Neighborhood Assets.

A total of 31 grants were awarded nationwide by the CDFI, a program within the Treasury Department.

Web site offers free online classified ads

A Spokane area Web site has launched free online classified ads.

Spokane.net, a division of New Media Ventures, Inc., launched the free service this month, said company President Shaun O’ L. Higgins. New Media Ventures is a unit of Cowles Publishing Co., owner of The Spokesman-Review, and Higgins is also director of sales and marketing for the newspaper.

Spokane.net has operated since 1997. Its address is www.spokane.net.

Higgins said the classifieds section of Spokane.net has no limits on the number of ads users can post.