The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is soliciting proposals for its Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) Grant to provide funding for up to ten private, non-profit organizations that will provide entrepreneurial development services to women, with an emphasis on socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs.
Donor Name: U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/24/2023
Size of the Grant: $150,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
The goal of this FOA is to provide support to MSI’s to provide entrepreneurial development services to their students and the communities they engage, and to develop promising strategies and effective practices to strengthen entrepreneurship education.
The WBC Program is managed by the Assistant Administrator (AA) of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO).
Objective
The objective of this Announcement is to enhance women’s entrepreneurship and support MSI’s by:
- Providing technical assistance to women entrepreneurs to include market planning and development, business planning, and advisory services.
- Assisting nascent entrepreneurs in business plan development and accessing capital.
- Providing educational experiences for MSI students interested in entrepreneurship.
- Offering outreach services and activities, including training, workshops, and information dissemination.
- Supporting the development and dissemination of curricula, training materials, guides, and evidence-based practices that can be used to enhance entrepreneurship education
Priorities
- OWBO leads Federal Government efforts to promote entrepreneurship among women, especially those in underserved and economically disadvantaged communities. Competitive proposals will outline how the project will increase the capacity of women entrepreneurs to access capital, create new enterprises, increase business survivability, create jobs, and do business with the federal government.
- OWBO, a component of the U.S. Small Business Administration, leads Federal Government efforts to promote, support, and strengthen women entrepreneurs. OWBO will implement evidence-based approaches that promote the success of women owned business enterprises and ensure they are able to counter the unique challenges to their sustainability. OWBO seeks to align its programs and initiatives with Administration goals and priorities through its key mission to enable and empower women entrepreneurs through advocacy, outreach, education, and support.
- Data from the SBA’s Office of Advocacy found that between 2014 and 2016, the number of employer firms owned by women grew six percent, twice the growth rate of employer firms owned by men. This exponential growth was mainly driven by an increase in employer businesses owned by minority women, which grew by 14 percent. In recognition of the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and the special role that MSIs play in underserved communities, OWBO is establishing this focused initiative to support women’s entrepreneurship for undergraduate students and the communities served by HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs, ANSIs, and NHSIs through the development, evaluation, and implementation of promising strategies and effective practices. Given the importance of MSIs, including HBCUs, and the increasing growth and interest in entrepreneurship and small business throughout the MSI community, it is a natural fit for SBA to increase services, partnerships, and outreach through these communities.
- OWBO will accept applications from HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs, ANSIs, and NHSIs for the implementation of projects as described in this Announcement. OWBO anticipates making ten (10) awards pursuant to this FOA. OWBO is not authorized to provide awards to individuals under this FOA and applications from individuals will not be considered under this request. Award funds cannot be used to make investments in individual businesses.
Funding Information
Up to $ 1,500,000 in funding is available for this FOA. The SBA expects to provide funding for up to 10 (10) Initial Phase awards, each not to exceed $150,000.
Period of Performance
Awards will be made for up to a five (5)-year period of performance, consisting of a base period of twelve (12) months from the date of award and four (4) option periods of twelve (12) months each.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible for this FOA, applicants must be a private non-profit organization certified under § 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 affiliated with MSIs and have experience providing technical services to women, with a special emphasis on socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs. To the extent that they satisfy all eligibility criteria the same as all other applicant organizations, Religious 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.
Applicants must document as part of the narrative proposal that they:
- Will provide services to women and other entrepreneurs who are both socially- and economically disadvantaged.
- Continue to be organized and incorporated in the United States and remain in good standing in the state or territory of incorporation. A copy of the certificate of good standing or applicable document must be attached to the applicant’s technical proposal.
- Are a private not-for-profit or non-profit corporation with an active 501(c) Federal tax-exempt status certification from the United States Department of Treasury/Internal Revenue Service. A copy of the 501(c) designation letter must be attached to the applicant’s technical proposal.
- Will provide technical assistance to small business concerns owned and controlled by women.
- Have an established organizational infrastructure with an internal financial management system that currently meets the requirements.
- Are responsible for hiring, supervising, and employing staff enough to ensure that the WBC is open to the public a minimum of forty (40) hours a week including evening and weekend hours and to fully provide the services required under this FOA, the NOA, and the applicant’s proposal. Staff must include a full-time (forty (40) hours per week) program director whose time is dedicated one hundred percent (100%) to managing the day-to-day operations of the WBC as well as overseeing its staff, volunteers, and all financial aspects.
MSI’s include the following institutions of higher education: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Service Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and University (TCUs), Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (NHSIs), and Alaska Native Serving Institutions (ANSIs) of higher learning with existing minority entrepreneurship or related programs.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
