WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Small Business Administration is opening a $6 million grant competition to expand counseling, training and capital-access services for women entrepreneurs in eight states and territories where existing Women’s Business Center funding has lagged business formation.
The funding will support a new Women’s Business Center Modernization Initiative in Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia and Wyoming. Applications are due Aug. 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
The initiative will create State Lead Centers supported by local Service Centers, giving participating states a coordinated network intended to broaden access to small-business assistance. The grants will be funded with money already obligated by statute.
The SBA is limiting the competition to jurisdictions where the number of women entrepreneurs has grown faster than the availability of existing Women’s Business Center resources. Awards will be based partly on population and current service coverage.
“By building coordinated networks of Lead and Service Centers, SBA is aligning counseling, training, and access to capital in a single, connected statewide system,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler stated.
The new grants will operate separately from the SBA’s existing Women’s Business Center program. All 138 current centers will continue receiving their fiscal 2026 base awards under existing cooperative agreements.
In participating states, the new Lead Center grants will supplement rather than replace current funding. The SBA plans to evaluate whether statewide networks improve access and service delivery.
Eligible applicants must provide technical assistance or related services to entrepreneurs and must be incorporated in the United States and in good standing in their state or territory.
Applicants also must be private nonprofit organizations with active federal 501(c) tax-exempt status and must maintain financial management systems that comply with federal grant requirements under 2 CFR 200.302.
Organizations may apply through https://www.grants.gov. Questions may be directed to the SBA Office of Women’s Business Ownership at owbo@sba.gov.
The SBA will hold two informational webinars for prospective applicants. Registration is required.
The first webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/c13f7571-55ab-41ed-8bcc-c881254697db@3c89fd8a-7f68-4667-aa15-41ebf2208961
The second is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/4969215e-b719-4f05-8eb9-eaaa158172a9@3c89fd8a-7f68-4667-aa15-41ebf2208961
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