$300,000 Funding Opportunity for Women and Veteran-Owned Businesses

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD) today announced a $300,000 funding opportunity for women and veteran-owned businesses through its Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program.  SBA expects to make up to six awards through this program with a minimum award of $25,000.

Successful applicants will be organizations with a demonstrated history of providing successful entrepreneurship training to women veterans, women service members, and women spouses of service members and veterans.  Applications must be received by Dec. 12. For more information, see program announcement No. WVETP-2017-01 at www.grants.gov.

This funding opportunity is open to non-profit organizations, local or state agencies, private sector firms, and institutions of higher learning.  Beneficiaries of the program will include: veterans, service-disabled veterans, members of the National Guard or Reserve Component, active duty service members, or women spouses of service members or veterans.

A Q&A conference call will be held on Nov. 30 at 3p.m. EST.  To join the conference call, dial 1-888-858-2144, using access code: 5817583#.  All questions must be submitted in advance and no later than Nov. 16 to Janet Moorman at janet.moorman@sba.gov (link sends e-mail).

Women Veteran Owned Small Businesses represent a burgeoning economic powerhouse in the military small business community.  As of 2012, women veterans owned 383,302 businesses, generating $17.9 billion in sales.  From 2007 to 2012, despite only representing 15.2 percent of the total number of all veteran-owned businesses, the number of women veteran owned small businesses increased by 294.7 percent.