Get Funding to Grow Your Business - Women Entrepreneurs

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued Program Announcement No. OWBO-2012-02 to invite private, 501(c)-certified nonprofit organizations that are currently in SBA’s WBC program that will have successfully completed an initial 5-year WBC grant by September 29, 2012 or those centers that will have successfully completed a 3-year renewal WBC grant by September 29, 2012 and that continue to meet the program criteria as provided in the Eligibility section of the program announcement to apply for a three year WBC renewal grant. Successful applicants will receive awards in the form of a cooperative agreement for the base year.

Two additional option years may be exercised, subject to the availability of funding and the WBC's performance during the previous year. An SBA women's business center is a program or project funded, in part, by a grant from the SBA to provide technical assistance, such as training and counseling to women entrepreneurs, both nascent and owners of existing businesses. The WBC may exist within the framework of a larger economic development organization and may make use of the resources provided by that organization, and must be a clearly identifiable separate program or project of that entity. The function of the Women's Business Center Program Renewal Grant is to provide continued funding for women's business centers to provide technical assistance to women entrepreneurs, both nascent and established.

A representative number of clients served by each WBC must be socially and economically disadvantaged. WBC grant recipients must provide assistance to women entrepreneurs in the areas of finance, management, marketing, and other areas as defined in Program Announcement OWBO-2012-02. Program authority is detailed in the Small Business Act, Sections 2(h) and 29 (15 U.S.C. Sections 631(h) and 656), as amended.

Award recipients must provide non-federal matching funds as follows: one non-federal dollar for each federal dollar. Up to 50% of the non-federal matching funds may in the form of in-kind contributions and at least 50% of the non-federal matching funds must be in cash.