SBA to fund women veteran entrepreneurship training

Selected programs could receive up to $300,000

WASHINGTON, D.C. » The U.S. Small Business Administration is making funding available to programs that offer entrepreneurship training for women veterans, women service members and women military spouses.

Nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies and institutions of higher education are eligible to compete for the funding — up to $300,000 — to provide the entrepreneurship training. The Small Business Administration announced the opening of the application period on Feb. 20. All applications for the grants must be submitted by March 19.

“Women veteran entrepreneurs contribute in a major way to the growth of the U.S. economy, bringing in $10 billion in receipts over a five-year period,” Steve Bulger, Small Business Administration acting Mid-Atlantic regional administrator, said in a statement. “The SBA remains committed to supporting women veterans with the training and resources they need to start, grow, or expand a small business.”

Up to six programs or organizations will be selected this year to receive grants administered by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Veterans Business Development, and will participate in the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Program.

The grants provided to the organizations will help cover the costs of educating women service members and veterans and women military spouses that either already own a small business or are interested in starting one.

The Small Business Administration’s Office of Veterans Business Development is committed to opening the doors for all veterans, service members and their spouses, who are considering small business ownership, according to the office’s website. The office offers programs and services including training, counseling and mentorship, and oversight of federal procurement programs for veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

According to a synopsis of the competition, eligible applicants with established entrepreneurship training programs provide entrepreneurship training “with outcomes that reflect new business starts, job creation/retention and income generation that results in the establishment of and expansion of existing small firms owned by female veterans and spouses of veterans.”

Eligible organizations need to submit applications for the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program funding opportunity (WVETP-2020-01). The application package can be found by visiting https://www. grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=324678. Applications not submitted via Grants.gov will not be evaluated. The submission deadline is Thursday, March 19 at 11:59 p.m.

For those with questions related to the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program grant announcement, the Small Business Administration will host a conference call on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.

Interested participants can call in to: 1-202-765-1264. The conference ID for the conference call is: 13482739. Questions can be submitted ahead of the conference call by emailing: jerry.godwin@sba. gov. Questions should be submitted by 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24.

A transcript of the call will be made available on grants.gov and www.sba.gov/ovbd following the conference call.

The U.S. Small Business Administration offers the resources and support entrepreneurs and small business owners need to start or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. For more information visit www.sba.gov.