SBA Announces Funding Awards to Three Organizations to Provide Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Programs
May 10 2024 - 11:20AM
Today,
Administrator Isabel Casillas
Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA)
and the voice in President Biden’s
Cabinet for America’s more than 33 million small businesses,
announced $300,000 in funding for three organizations to deliver
the SBA’s Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program (WVETP)
to local veterans.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to honoring the
service of the over two million women veterans in the U.S. by
making sure we support those who are looking to start or grow a
business,” said Administrator Guzman. “We are proud
to invest in women veterans by collaborating with these incredible
mission-driven organizations to deliver the SBA’s Women Veteran
Entrepreneurship Training Program and empower women veterans with
skills and guidance to build resilient businesses.”
This grant funding opportunity, provided by SBA’s Office of
Veterans Business Development, supports each organization’s
programs to engage women veterans in entrepreneurship by helping
them through the planning stages of a new business or finding new
ways to grow their existing small business. Over 9,500 women
veterans participated in WVETPs during fiscal year 2023.
Each awardee demonstrated a clear history and commitment to
providing training and resources specific to the needs of women
veterans.
The WVETP awardees are as follows:
Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and
Military Families: Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of
Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) (Syracuse, NY) – $150,000
The V-WISE program is an intensive three-phase program
containing a 15-day online preparatory course, a three-day
residency program, and post-training technical support. The program
empowers women veterans and military spouses to find passion and
learn the business savvy skills necessary to turn an idea or
start-up into a growing venture.
ONABEN: Beyond the Boots: A Veteran and Service Member
Initiative (Tulsa, OK) – $75,000
ONABEN is a non-profit organization that delivers economic and
entrepreneurial development services to the Native American
business community. The Beyond the Boots program gives women
veterans, service members, and military spouses resources to grow
in business, explore the importance of social entrepreneurship, and
overcome small business challenges through culturally appropriate
capacity building, peer coaching, and entrepreneurial
activities.
Utah Veteran Business Resource Center (VBRC) at Salt Lake
Community College: Startup Training Resources to Inspire
Veteran Entrepreneurship (STRIVE) (Salt Lake City, UT) –
$75,000
STRIVE is a 10-week build-your-business course that is tailored
to the unique choices women need to make to navigate biases and
other situations they face in business. The STRIVE program is
provided in partnership with Syracuse University’s D’Aniello
Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), the National
Association of Community College Educators (NACCE), and the VBRC.
Support from SBA’s WVETP will allow 220 women veterans to
participate in the program, expanding economic opportunities and
empowering Utah’s servicewomen and their families.
To learn more about SBA’s programs for veterans, visit
www.sba.gov/veterans.
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About the U.S. Small Business AdministrationThe U.S.
Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of
business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small
businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the
SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the
resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their
businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers
services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and
partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more,
visit www.sba.gov.
About the Office of Veterans Business DevelopmentThe SBA’s
Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD) works through the
SBA’s extensive resource partner network, which includes Small
Business Development Centers, SCORE, Women’s Business Centers, and
28 VBOCs located throughout the nation. VBOCs are also the leading
partner in hosting the “Boots to Business” and “Boots to Business
Reboot” programs, which offer courses on entrepreneurship on
military installations and in local communities. Since the
program’s inception in 2013, Boots to Business has trained and
graduated more than 200,000 service members, veterans, National
Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses. For more
information on the resources available for veteran entrepreneurs,
visit www.sba.gov/veterans.
Kirk McElwain
U.S. Small Business Administration
202-205-6175
Kirk.McElwain@sba.gov