SBA Announces Funding Competition

Competition Open to Organizations Providing Training to Women Veteran Entrepreneurs

On Feb 14, 2020

The  U.S. Small Business Administration announced that nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies, and institutions of higher learning are eligible to compete for funding to deliver entrepreneurship training to women service members, women veterans, and women military spouses.

Up to six awardees will receive a total of  $300,000 in grants administered by SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development to participate in the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program. The funds will be used to cover the costs of educating women service members and veterans, as well as women military spouses who are interested in starting or currently own a small business.

“Women veteran entrepreneurs have contributed in a major way to the growth of the U.S. economy, bringing in $10 billion in receipts over a five-year period,” said Larry Stubblefield, Associate Administrator for SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development.  “The SBA is committed to supporting women veterans with the training and resources they need to start, grow, or expand a small business.”

Eligible organizations should submit applications for the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program funding opportunity (WVETP-2020-01) through Grants.gov.  Applications not submitted via Grants.gov will not be evaluated. The submission deadline is March 17 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

“Of the 2.4 million veterans that are entrepreneurs, women veterans make up just over 360,000 of those businesses.   Clearly, women service members and women veterans are looking to take the skill set they learned through their military service and are applying it to the small businesses they have started or want to start.   I strongly encourage all nonprofits, state, local  agencies  and institutions of higher learning throughout our region to consider submitting a proposal for funding a project that could spur entrepreneurship among women service members, women veterans and women military spouses, said SBA Regional Administrator Steve Bulger who oversees agency operations in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The SBA will host a conference call on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. EST to answer questions for the eligible groups that may have questions regarding the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program grant announcement.

• Submit questions to Jerry Godwin at [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. EST on Feb. 24.
• Call in at (202) 765-1264; Conference ID: 13482739.

A transcript of the webinar will be posted on grants.gov and www.sba.gov/ovbd once it is available.

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