WASHINGTON, D.C. — Women’s Business Enterprise Center East will receive $930,077 to build a statewide support network for women entrepreneurs in Pennsylvania under a new U.S. Small Business Administration initiative intended to expand counseling, training and access to capital where existing resources have lagged demand.
The Pennsylvania organization is one of five recipients sharing $5.3 million through the SBA’s Women’s Business Center Modernization Initiative. Grants also went to organizations serving Florida, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
WBEC-East will serve Pennsylvania under a model that establishes State Lead Centers supported by local Service Centers. The lead centers are intended to coordinate services statewide rather than relying solely on individual Women’s Business Centers operating within particular areas.
The organization currently works with entrepreneurs in Pennsylvania, Delaware and southern New Jersey, providing certification, business education, training and consulting. Its services include supply-chain readiness, government contracting, business-growth strategy and access-to-capital education.
The Pennsylvania award is the third-largest of the five. The Better Business Bureau Education Foundation received about $2.08 million for Texas, while Florida Institute of Technology Inc. received about $1.54 million for Florida.
Proof Programs received $494,329 to serve Tennessee, and Economic and Community Development Institute Inc. received $250,000 for West Virginia.
The modernization program builds on the SBA’s existing network of 138 Women’s Business Centers. The new State Lead Centers will work with local Service Centers to provide counseling, training and technical assistance and coordinate access to SBA resources.
“Through coordinated statewide networks, these awards will bring counseling, training, and access to capital closer to the women starting businesses, creating jobs, and strengthening their communities,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said.
The grants are being financed with statutorily obligated funds and are intended to increase resources in states where existing Women’s Business Center funding has not kept pace with the number of women entrepreneurs.
The SBA initially opened a $6 million competition for the modernization program covering Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia and Wyoming. Five organizations ultimately received awards totaling $5.3 million.
The modernization initiative will operate separately from the existing Women’s Business Center program. The SBA’s 138 current centers will continue receiving their fiscal 2026 base awards under existing cooperative agreements, while the new Lead Center grants will supplement current funding in participating states.
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