Women's Business Center - Initial Phase Grant | OWBO 2020 04

Opportunity Information: Apply for OWBO 2020 04

The Women`s Business Center (WBC) - Initial Phase Grant (Funding Opportunity Number OWBO 2020 04) is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) focused on expanding entrepreneurial support for women in West Virginia. The main goal is to fund organizations that can deliver practical, on-the-ground entrepreneurial development services, with a clear emphasis on serving socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs. In other words, the grant is meant to strengthen access to training, counseling, and other business-building resources for women who may face structural barriers to starting or growing a business.

Funding is available for up to two awards, with an award ceiling of $75,000 per recipient, under CFDA number 59.043 (Business and Commerce). The opportunity was posted February 26, 2020, with an original closing date of March 23, 2020. The SBA expects to make two awards, meaning the program is competitive and geared toward organizations that can demonstrate both capability and a strong plan to serve the target population across the state.

Eligibility is limited to private, nonprofit organizations that have 501(c) tax-exempt status with the U.S. Treasury/Internal Revenue Service and that will provide services within the State of West Virginia. Public nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses are explicitly not eligible. The notice draws a distinction by describing public nonprofits as entities like churches, schools, and hospitals that often provide charitable services directly to the public and tend to be supported heavily through public donations and governed by many outside, unaffiliated directors. The intent here is to restrict awards to private nonprofit operators that fit SBA`s eligibility rules for this specific WBC funding stream.

An important condition involves whether the applicant has operated an SBA-funded WBC recently. If an organization is currently operating, or has operated, an SBA-funded Women`s Business Center within the past five years, and it is selected for funding, SBA will treat that award as a Renewal Phase Project rather than an Initial Phase Project. Similarly, if an organization previously operated an SBA-funded WBC that has since closed, and it applies to bring that center back, SBA will also treat the application as a Renewal Phase effort because it is essentially re-establishing a prior WBC rather than starting a completely new one. This matters because it signals SBA will categorize and manage awards based on the applicant`s WBC operating history, even if the posted opportunity is labeled as an initial phase grant.

The announcement also highlights SBA`s interest in reaching underserved markets and specifically encourages Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and their auxiliary entities to apply. Examples listed include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) associated with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). The underlying message is that SBA views MSIs as well-positioned to deliver culturally competent and community-connected entrepreneurial services, particularly for applicants and clients who are socially and economically disadvantaged.

Overall, this opportunity is designed to support the establishment or strengthening of Women`s Business Center services in West Virginia by funding qualified private nonprofits that can deliver entrepreneurial development programming to women, prioritize underserved communities, and demonstrate the ability to operate effectively within SBA`s WBC framework.

• The Small Business Administration in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Women's Business Center - Initial Phase Grant" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 59.043.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 26, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 23, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $75,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for OWBO 2020 04

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