Women's Business Ownership Assistance

Women's Business Centers (WBCs) are a part a national network of entrepreneurship centers throughout the United States and its territories, which are designed to assist women in starting and growing small businesses.

Applicants must be a private non-profit organization certified under 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and have experience providing technical services to women, and other entrepreneurs. To the extent that they satisfy all eligibility criteria the same as all other applicant organizations, Faith based Organizations are entitled to compete for Federal financial assistance (grants and/or cooperative agreements) used to support government programs. Generally, such organizations are not required to alter their religious character to participate in a government program, nor to cease engaging in explicitly religious activities outside the program, nor effectively to relinquish their Federal statutory protections for religious hiring decisions.

As stated in each solicitation for proposals, but including: B. EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR WBC APPLICANT TECHNICAL PROPOSAL a. Mission Alignment and Experience (up to 10 points), b. Organizational Experience and Capacity (up to 15 points), c. Market Assessment for Services Provided (up to 15 points), d. Project Objectives and Milestone (up to 20 points), e. Plans for Marketing and Collaboration with SBA and Other Community and Small Business Organizations (up to 10 points), f. Sources and Leverage of other Funds (up to 5 points), g. Financial Management Capability and Confirmation of Match (up to 15 points), h. Program Evaluation and Economic Impact (up to 5 points), and i. Technological Capabilities (up to 5 points).

This program has no statutory formula. For the initial phase WBC awards, the non-Federal entities are required to match awarded funds on a 1:2 ratio for the first 2 years of the grant and a 1:1 ratio for the subsequent 3 years. For Renewal grants, the non-Federal entities are required to match awarded funds on a 1:1 ratio for each of the 3 years of the grant.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Not Applicable.