01 Why this exists
Money already appropriated, not reaching the people it was meant for.
The Korea Desk is not a second business services office. It is a language layer on the one the City and its agencies already fund.
02
The gap
Jersey City is among the most linguistically diverse municipalities in the United States. According to the American Community Survey, 45.7 percent of residents — roughly 138,000 people — speak a language other than English at home, and 41.3 percent are foreign-born, nearly double the State rate.
The City, its economic development agency, and the County of Hudson fund business assistance — Urban Enterprise Zone certification, financing, minority and small business certification. Many immigrant-owned businesses are eligible. Much of it goes unclaimed, because the information about it does not reach owners in a language they read.
No single agency can staff for that range of languages. The practical result is that outreach in community languages routes owners to assistance available only in English.
Raising participation in programs the public has already funded is not new expenditure. It is existing money reaching the residents it was appropriated for.
03
Why Korean first
New Jersey's Language Access Law, P.L. 2023, c.263, enacted January 12, 2024, requires State government entities that provide direct services to the public to translate vital documents and provide interpreting in at least the seven most common non-English languages spoken by residents with limited English proficiency. Korean is one of those seven.
The law binds State agencies. It does not extend to municipalities — which is precisely where the gap this Desk fills sits.
Korean is also where the operator already has reach and trust, built over twenty-six years of publishing in this region.
Korean is the proof of concept, not the purpose.
04
A model built to be handed on
Intake, the referral pathway, and quarterly reporting are language-neutral. The only variable is the language of the person at the table.
If the pilot works, the same structure can be handed to any community organization with reach into another language community — without the City standing up a new program each time. This model is not specific to any one national origin or language community.
05
This structure is established elsewhere
- Immigrant Business Initiative — New York City Department of Small Business Services, 2014
- Services delivered through community partners in several languages, including Korean.
- Community Navigator Pilot Program — U.S. Small Business Administration, 2021–2024
- The same design applied nationally. The Government Accountability Office found it counseled a higher share of clients from majority-minority, high-poverty, and low-income areas than SBA's Small Business Development Centers, Women's Business Centers, and SCORE.
Sources: P.L. 2023, c.263 · NJ Office of New Americans · NYC SBS · GAO-25-107067
Unlike both, this program requires no municipal funding of the partner. KCED Foundation carries all staffing, materials, translation, outreach, and insurance.
06
What gets reported
Not how many owners the Korea Desk sees, but how many reach City and agency services who otherwise would not have. Quarterly: businesses served, applications completed, referrals made, matters closed — in aggregate only. Nothing identifying an individual business is shared with any partner or funder.
07
For partners and press
Twelve-month pilot, October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. No municipal appropriation is requested, no City staff time, and no assumption of liability by the City. The pilot is terminable by either party at any time.
Contact: media@kcedfoundation.org 201-224-7500