Here's an SBA initiative that's sure to take the food crisis and economic slump head on. The SBA is launching their new initiative, the Emerging 200, geared toward inner-city businesses that show a high potential for success. By learning to sustain themselves, these 200 selected businesses can increase their outreach and impact, generating new jobs, and attracting more investors to bring up the local economy.

The SBA is also working to improve small businesses' credit access in rural areas. The program offers inner-city businesses the opportunity to be mentored by peers and experts and to attend workshops and develop expansion strategies, all in hopes of assisting areas challenged by low-income and high unemployment rates.

The SBA and its partners are currently selecting participants, and the program is expected to last from May to December. Cities that have been selected for this initiative include Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Philadelphia. For a list of the rest of the cities, and to read more on the initiative's goals, click here.--Jessica Chen