Call for Proposals

The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN) is a network of organizations across the U.S. and internationally that work to prevent the displacement of BIPOC- and immigrant-owned small businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods. Our network includes policymakers, nonprofit advocates, technical assistance providers, scholars, and small business owners who share knowledge and advocate for innovative policies that keep small businesses in place.

Our 2023 annual conference will be held November 1-3 at The Hotel at the University of Maryland, minutes from Washington, D.C. The conference will feature the latest commercial gentrification research and on-the-ground efforts to combat small business displacement. Participants will hear from renowned national and international small business leaders, scholars, policymakers, and advocates about what they are doing to address the challenges that small businesses face. The conference will offer opportunities to participate in roundtables, workshop projects, explore in-depth reports from SBAN case study grantees, and network with people from across the country and abroad who are working to support BIPOC and immigrant communities. SBAN will also organize visits to small business corridors and communities across the metro area where anti-displacement strategies are being employed.

A vital aspect of SBAN is bringing together leading voices in the field, sharing knowledge, and collectively solving problems. We anticipate an exciting convening of SBAN members and other small business leaders who are working across different sectors in diverse geographical and policy contexts to help small businesses thrive in the face of neighborhood change.

Submit a proposal

We want to hear your ideas about the critical challenges facing small businesses in gentrifying communities and your experiences with anti-displacement strategies that work! We are seeking proposals for presentations, panels, workshops, and roundtable conversations. We are particularly interested in receiving proposals from SBAN members, because the conference is a key venue for meeting fellow members and sharing work with the entire network.

The deadline for submitting proposals is July 7, 2023. If your proposal is accepted, we will notify you by July 21, 2023. If you have questions, please contact our SBAN conference planner, Hannah Cameron (sban@umd.edu) for assistance.

This year’s conference theme is “Strengthening Community & Building Opportunity,” highlighting how promoting community control, ownership, and identity are central to creating opportunities for small business growth and sustainability in BIPOC and immigrant communities. Conference panels and workshops will discuss a range of tools, strategies, and on-the-ground efforts to prevent small business displacement that leverage existing community assets and help to strengthen the social and economic fabric of neighborhoods. Our focus will be ways to invest in neighborhoods that allow residents, workers, and small business owners access to a range of social, educational, economic, and other opportunities while remaining in place.

We invite proposals on a range of tools, strategies, and topics related to our conference theme, including, but not limited to:

  • Commercial cooperatives and community ownership
  • Capital access and technical assistance strategies for BIPOC-owned businesses
  • Place-based management tools for commercial corridors
  • Commercial cultural heritage and preservation approaches
  • Advancing commercial tenant rights
  • Climate gentrification’s impact on small businesses
  • Reimagining downtowns and navigating the post-covid landscape
  • Finding and leveraging small business data
  • Organizing and coalition-building toward policy change

We invite you to submit a proposal for one or more of the following formats:

  • Individual Presentation: Develop a short presentation about a particular topic or project. Individual presentations will be organized based on topic areas and developed into panel sessions.
  • Panel Session: Propose a pre-organized panel session. Indicate in your proposal the confirmed presenters and your role on the panel (i.e. panelist or moderator). Each panel session should include 3 to 4 individual presentations.
  • Workshop Session: Got an idea for a workshop that you would like to lead or organize? Workshops are interactive discussions that aim to give audience members practical skills or advice in implementing a particular tool, strategy, or idea.
  • Roundtable Conversation: Does your organization have a key challenge it is facing or a new idea you are exploring? Propose a topic for a roundtable conversation. This format is meant to spur conversations around exploratory topics and ideas without formal presentations. Roundtables will involve facilitated discussions with conference participants around a few key ideas or questions posed by you, the organizer.
  • Lightning-Round Talk: Prepare a short (less than 5 minute) TedTalk-style presentation on an idea you want to share and receive quick feedback from your colleagues. Submissions will be organized topically into sessions.

SBAN Support for Participants & Presenters

  • Participants whose proposals are selected will receive complimentary conference registration.
  • SBAN member organizations will receive a travel honorarium for one representative attending the conference, with priority going to members who are participating as presenters.

Submission Deadline & Timeline for Review

  • Call for Proposals Opens: Friday, May 26, 2023.
  • Deadline for Proposal Submissions: Friday, July 7, 2023.
  • Proposal Acceptance Notices Sent: Friday, July 21, 2023.
  • Conference Registration Opens: Monday, July 24, 2023.