Funding Competition to Support Women Veteran Entrepreneurs

Applications Due March 21, 2024

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has opened applications for non-profit organizations and private sector firms to compete for funding of up to $300,000, aimed at delivering entrepreneurship training to women veterans. The application period commenced today and extends through March 21, 2024.

Under the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program (SB-OVWV-24-001), up to six grantees will be awarded a total funding of $300,000 each by the SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development. These grants will support projects for a base period of 12 months, with three additional option periods of 12 months each. The funding will be utilized to educate and empower women veterans aspiring to venture into business ownership or already involved in entrepreneurial pursuits.

Acting Associate Administrator for the SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development, Timothy Green, highlighted the pressing need for tailored resources and support for women veteran entrepreneurs, considering the significant number of women veterans in the U.S. and the increasing ownership of businesses by women. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Women Veteran Training Program grantees assisted over 9,500 participants in starting or expanding their businesses.

One success story is that of Kristen Wright, a military spouse and owner of Kristen Wright Strategic Communications LLC in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Overwhelmed with navigating government contracts, Kristen sought support from ONABEN, an SBA Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training program grantee. Through specialized programs like “Beyond the Boots,” tailored for the military community, Kristen received guidance and attended SBA-led sessions on federal contracting opportunities. This support enabled Kristen to grow her military spouse- and woman-owned business and effectively compete in the federal marketplace.

Eligible organizations interested in applying for the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program funding opportunity (SB-OVWV-24-001) must submit their applications by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 21, 2024, through grants.gov, searching for opportunity number SB-OVWV-24-001.

To address any queries regarding the grant announcement, the SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development will host a conference call on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. ET. Questions can be submitted to Jerry Godwin at [email protected] by Friday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. ET. Participants can join the call through Microsoft Teams at this link, using Meeting ID: 287 257 338 930 and Passcode: d2Wnux. Alternatively, they can join by phone at 202-765-1264; Access code: 992 017 738#.

Information, including a transcript of the conference call, will be available on grants.gov and sba.gov.

For more information on resources available for veteran entrepreneurs, visit sba.gov/veterans.

The SBA remains committed to making the American dream of business ownership a reality, empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners with the necessary resources and support to start, grow, expand, or recover from declared disasters. For more details, visit sba.gov.