One of the cornerstones of a healthy community is a vibrant and diverse small business sector. The federal and state governments offer a variety of programs and support for women owned small businesses.
Use these resources to help to start of expand your business
Learn More about SBA Women's Business Centerssee here
Women's Business Centers (WBCs) stand for a nationwide network of nearly 100 instructional centers throughout the United States and its territories, which are created to help women in beginning and growing small companies. WBCs seek to "level the playing field" for women entrepreneurs, who still face unique obstacles in business world.
SBA's Office of Women's Business Ownership (OWBO) oversees the WBC network, which provides entrepreneurs (specifically women who are economically or socially disadvantaged) comprehensive training and counseling on a range of topics in numerous languages.
Find a WBC Near You
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Many of the SBA programs offering Small Business Grants, Loan Programs and Counseling Programs for women are offered through universities and centers.
The Historically Underutilized Business Zones Empowerment Contracting Program provides federal contracting assistance to eligible small businesses located in underutilized business zones to improve their employment opportunities, investments, and their area's economic development.
SBA Low-Interest Disaster Loans
Disaster loans can be utilized for the repair and rebuilding of non-farm, private sector disaster losses, and are available to all types of business, instead of being restricted to small businesses alone.
HUBZone Certification Program Webinar
This video explains the basics of the HUBZone certification program for small business federal contractors.
HUBZone certification allows certain small businesses to compete for set-aside contracts aimed at spurring investment in low median income or high unemployment areas.
SBA 8(a) Business Development Program Webinar
This video explains how the SBA's 8(a) Program works, its eligibility requirements, technical assistance available to small disadvantaged businesses through the program and common myths about the program.
Local Assistance from the Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration has many local offices and resource partners that counsel, mentor and train small business owners and entrepreneurs.
These nearby offices and online assistance can help your business start up, succeed and grow. This short video provides a good introduction to services near you.
Small Business Administration Resources for Veterans
The Small Business Administration offers various resources for veterans interested in starting, financing or growing their businesses.
We've read stats showing that Blacks have a buying power of $1.2 Trillion dollars and that Black women are starting businesses at a faster rate than any other group, but is this enough to change the economic inequalities that plague Black neighborhoods?
SCORE Services to Small Business - An Introduction
In an excerpt from a 2010 interview the SCORE CEO discusses its counseling and workshops offerings to small businesses.
The Creative Role That One CDFI Plays in Impact Investing
Antony Bugg-Levine, CEO of the Community Development Financial Institution Nonprofit Finance Fund, manages $80 million of impact investments. He is also the author of Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference.
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Featured Government Grant Resources
Common Bean Productivity Research for Global Food Security Competitive Grants Program
In keeping with this mission, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture has recently established the Common Bean Productivity Research for Global Food Security Competitive Grants Program in an attempt to develop approaches and methods that can efficiently address the various challenges facing common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production among small holder producers in food insecure countries.
Department of Agriculture: Value Added Producer Grants
The Value-Added Producer Grants program is geared towards helping the Independent Producers of Agricultural Commodities, Agriculture Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, and Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures in developing techniques that would create marketing opportunities and establish business plans involving viable marketing opportunities that involve the production of bio-based products from agricultural commodities.
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Women can get small business loans from the same sources other individuals seek small business financing from. This includes banks, credit unions, online lenders and any alternative lender or lending solution as long as they meet the lender's requirements.
SBA-qualified lenders usually set their own criteria when assessing your eligibility. Most lenders will require a minimum FICO score of 620 or higher for their SBA Loans.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has several programs to help finance small business loans. Many SBA loan programs combine business coaching and technical assistance, as well as access to financing, on more flexible terms. One example is the 7 (a) Loan Program, SBA's most widely-used loan guarantee program.
How much of a business loan you can get depends on your business's annual gross sales, creditworthiness, current debts, the type of financing, and the chosen lender. In general, lenders will only provide loans up to 10% to 30% of your annual revenue to ensure you have the means for repayment.
Although women own 38% of all businesses in the U.S., according to the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, they often face obstacles when obtaining financing. In 2022, 25% of women-owned businesses were rejected for a loan, compared to 19% of male-owned businesses.
Reasons you may be disqualified from a small business loan include a low credit score, poor cash flow, no collateral, significant debt, a bad business plan or having a business in a risky industry.
While LLCs can be started at any credit level, there will be some notable disadvantages for business owners who have bad credit. Here are a few examples: Money will be hard to come by. Having bad personal credit will generally make it more difficult to get a bank loan to start or expand your LLC.
Microloan lenders like Kiva and Accion also provide loan solutions that could work for small businesses without any revenue. Online lenders like Funding Circle, Fundbox and OnDeck offer loans to small businesses, though many will require some revenue.
The MicroLoan Program provides very small loans to start-up, newly established, or growing small business concerns and certain not-for-profit childcare centers.
Prospective borrowers have three options: business term loan, line of credit or SBA loan. Funding Circle term loans range from $25,000 to $500,000 with repayment terms from six months to five years. If you choose to apply for a business line of credit, you can access credit lines between $6,000 and $100,000.
Terms typically range from one to five years, which is a relatively longer repayment structure than most other online business loan solutions. Long-term loans typically last 7-10 years and are more likely to be available through banks and credit unions rather than alternative lenders, which some business owners prefer.
Traditional banks, like TD Bank and PNC Bank, typically lend large amounts to borrowers, with business loan amounts ranging from $10,000 to $5 million. That said, banks have been continually tightening credit standards, making approval more difficult.
Indian Banks offer a number of exclusive schemes to support the women entrepreneurs in the country to expand and improve their business. Punjab National Bank, Dena Bank, Bank of Baroda, Oriental Bank of Commerce, and Bank of Mysore are few to name.
Women's Business Ownership Act changed history for women entrepreneurs. The Women's Business Ownership Act (WBOA) of 1988 prohibited state laws that required women to secure a male relative as their co-signer on business loans.
What exactly was going on before this Act passed? Prior to the passing of this Act in 1988, women were required to have a male relative as their co-signer on business loans. The definition of “male relative” could range from a woman's husband to her own child.
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