C-Suite Wednesday – SBA Awards $2.7 Million+ For Women’s Business Centers Across the Nation

August 25, 2021

Delaney Sexton
Contributing Editor

C-Suite Wednesday – SBA Awards $2.7 Million+ For Women’s Business Centers Across the Nation

“The growth and recovery of women-owned small businesses is essential to our nation’s economy. During the pandemic, our Women’s Business Centers have played an integral role in meeting the needs of women entrepreneurs during an especially challenging time. As resource providers, they too have been impacted by the changing business landscape and have had to pivot to meet community needs,” says Natalie Madeira Cofield the Assistant Administrator for SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership.

The SBA issued grants of up to $200,000 to fourteen Women’s Business Centers in thirteen different states. These grants were provided by the WBC Resiliency and Recovery Demonstration Grant so that these centers can establish or continue projects that are aimed to improve support and resources for women-owned businesses impacted by COVID-19. In total, the SBA awarded $2.7 million to the following centers:

• CWE Eastern Massachusetts – Women’s Business Center in Boston, MA (Phone: 617-536-0700, Email: Info.EasternMA@CWEonline.org)
• Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship Women’s Business Center in Chatham, NJ (Phone: 973-507-9700, Email: info@wcecnj.org)
• WISE Women’s Business Center in Syracuse, NY (Phone: 315-443-8634, Email: wisecenter@syr.edu)
• Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship Women’s Business Center in Pittsburgh, PA (Phone: 412-365-1253, Email: womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu)
• weVENTURE Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech Bisk College of Business in Melbourne, FL (Phone: 321-674-7007, Email: weVENTURE@fit.edu)
• Benedict College Women’s Business Center in Columbia, SC (Phone: 803-705-4641, Email: info@bcwbc.org)
• WEOC Women’s Business Center in Fort Wayne, IN (Phone: 260-407-6442, Email: info@niic.net)
• WomenVenture WBC in Minneapolis, MN (Phone: 612-224-9540, Email: info@womenventure.org)
• Albuquerque Women’s Business Center in Albuquerque, NM (Phone: 505-246-6900)
• Arkansas Women’s Business Center in Little Rock, AR (Phone: 501-280-3088)
• Mi Casa Women’s Business Center in Denver, CO (Phone: 303-539-5670, Email: business@micasaresourcecenter.org)
• California Capital Women’s Business Center in Sacramento, CA (Phone: 916-442-1729)
• Women’s Economic Ventures Women’s Business Center in Santa Barbara, CA (Phone: 805-965-6073)
• Idaho Women’s Business Center-Twin Falls in Twin Falls, ID (Phone: 208-996-1573)

In addition, the SBA announced that $300,000 is available for up to two established and aspiring Women’s Business Center host organizations in Puerto Rico. Each successful applicant will receive an annual grant award of $150,000. They are providing two more $150,000 grant opportunities for a Women’s Business Center host organization in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Rochester, New York. These will be annual renewable grants.

For more information about SBA’s programs and services for women entrepreneurs, visit www.sba.gov/women.

Sources:
SBA Press Release National Grants
SBA Press Release Puerto Rico
SBA Press Release Tulsa
SBA Press Release Rochester