US: Grants to establish Women’s Business Centers (WBCs)

Eligible Applicants must be private, non-profit organizations with 501(c) tax exempt status from the U.S. Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service.

This FOA provides opportunities for three distinct WBC projects. WBC Project 1 will focus on training, coaching, and technical assistance related to eligibility and certification for the WOSB and EDWOSB Programs. WBC Project 2 will focus on providing targeted training for women entrepreneurs to ensure Federal contract procurement readiness. WBC Project 3 is an opportunity for Applicants to design individual projects related to the growth and entrepreneurial development of women in the Federal government marketplace. Applicants may submit proposals for one or more WBC projects.

Objective and Projects

• WBC Project 1 – Certification Training and Application Preparation Assistance
  • WBC Project 1 will provide expert level training, coaching, and technical assistance to women entrepreneurs related to eligibility and certification for the WOSB and EDWOSB programs. Specifically,
  • WBC Project 1 is focused on:
    • Providing assistance to women entrepreneurs to determine eligibility for the WOSB or EDWOSB program;
    • Assisting women entrepreneurs in gathering and preparing all documents necessary to apply for the WOSB or EDWOSB program;
• WBC Project 2 – Government Contracting Training
  • WBC Project 2 will provide expert level training, coaching, and technical assistance to help women business owners be prepared to win Federal government contracts. Specifically, WBC Project 2 is focused on:
    • Providing targeted training for women entrepreneurs to ensure procurement readiness;
    • Providing counseling to understand the different roles of Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and Office of Small Business Program leaders, program managers, and contracting officers;
• WBC Project 3 – Distinct Project(s) Designed by the Applicant
  • WBC Project 3 allows Applicants to use innovation and creativity to propose additional WBC projects that benefit WOSBs and EDWOSBs seeking to grow in the Federal government marketplace. WBC Project 3 proposals must clearly outline the focus of the WBC and should address the needs and gaps for WOSBs and EDWOSBs not addressed by WBC Project 1 or WBC Project 2.

Funding Information

• SBA expects to make multiple awards of $150,000 each.
• Awards will be made for up to a five (5)-year period of performance, consisting of a base period of twelve (12) months from the date of award and four (4) option periods of twelve (12) months each.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for this FOA, Applicants must be a private, non-profit organization certified under § 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and have experience providing technical services to women, with a special emphasis on socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs.
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (NHSIs), Alaska Native Serving Institutions (ANSIs) of higher learning with existing minority entrepreneurship or related programs, and 501c entrepreneurial development organizations that serve designated Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones) are encouraged to apply.
• To the extent that they satisfy all eligibility criteria the same as all other Applicant organizations, religious organizations are entitled to compete for Federal financial assistance (grants and/or cooperative agreements) used to support government programs. Generally, such organizations are not required to alter their religious character to participate in a government program, nor to cease engaging in explicitly religious activities outside the program, nor effectively to relinquish their Federal statutory protections for religious hiring decisions.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.