| News : | U.S. Small Business Administration
News Release --
Release Date: November 13, 2006
Contact: Cecelia Taylor (202) 401-3059
Release Number: 06-60
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news
SBA Grants Will Fund 19 New Women’s Business Centers, Continue Funding for 80 Existing Centers
Women’s Centers Will Aid in the Development of Women-owned Businesses
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration today announced $12 million in grant funding for 19 new Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) and 80 existing WBCs, broadening the reach of business training and counseling to assist women to start, grow and expand their small businesses.
The $12 million includes funding for the 19 new WBCs, continued funding for the 29 existing WBCs that are still in their first five years of funding and 51 older WBCs that were awarded sustainability grants. Each WBC is required to match a portion of the federal funds with private contributions.
WBCs are community-based and they are in nearly every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American Samoa, serving a wide variety of economic environments including urban, suburban and rural. Each WBC tailors its services to meet the needs of the local area, and works to provide women business owners with long-term training, counseling and mentoring, as well as access to all of the SBA’s programs and services.
The WBC program, established by Congress in 1988, is administered by the SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership and promotes the growth of women- owned businesses through business training and technical assistance, and provides access to credit and capital, federal contracts, and international trade opportunities.
The new WBCs are located in the following cities: Wiscasset, Maine; Kenosha, Wis.; Seattle, Wash.; New York, N.Y.; Durant, Okla.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Greensburg, Pa.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Wilmington, Del.; San Antonio, Texas; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Forest, Miss.; Newark, N.J.; Santa Ana, Calif.; Huntsville, Ala. (serving Northern Alabama counties); Mobile, Ala.; San Bernardino, Calif.; and Albuquerque, N.M.
With the addition of these 19 centers, women entrepreneurs now have 99 WBCs nationwide to help them start and grow their small businesses. The WBC program served more than 144,000 clients across the country last year, providing help with financial management, procurement training, marketing and technical assistance. WBCs also provide specialized programs that include mentoring in various languages, Internet training, issues facing displaced workers and rural home-based entrepreneurs.
For a complete list of all centers receiving grants, to find the location nearest to you and for additional information about the SBA’s Women’s Business Center program, visit online at http://www.onlinewbc.gov/wbc.pdf.
New FY 2006 Women's Business CenterGrant Receipients:
Coastal Enterprise, Inc.
36 Water Street
Wiscasset, ME
Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp.
Racine/Kenosha Office
Tentative Location:
Kenosha Chamber of Commerce
Kenosha, WI
Seattle Business Assistance Center
(for Tacoma, WA)
1437 South Jackson, Suite 201
Seattle, WA
New York Association for New Americans, Inc.
17 Battery Place
New York, NY 10004
Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Inc.
(for Oklahoma City)
2912 Enterprise Blvd.
Durant, OK 74701
Empowerment Group, Inc.
2111 North Front Street
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Seton Hill University
Seton Hill Drive
Greensburg, PA 15601
CHARO Community Development Corporation
4301 East Valley Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90032 (for Riverside, CA)
YWCA Delaware, Inc.
100 W. Tenth Street, Suite 515
Wilmington, DE 19801
San Antonio Local Development Company Inc.
dba South Texas Business Fund
1901 S. Alamo, Suite 283
San Antonio, TX 78204
Mission Community Services Corporation/Missin BIC/WSP
4111 Broad Street, Suite 100
San Luis Obispo, CA 92401-7903
Syracuse Women’s Business Innovation Center Syracuse University Skytop Office Building, Suite 124 Syracuse, NY 13244
Crudup-Ward Activity Center
656 Longview Street
Post Office Box 1113
Forest, MS 39074
Women’s Venture Fund
The Latino Institute
346 Mount Prospect Avenue
Newark NJ 07104
Rancho Santiago Community College District Foundation
2323 North Broadway
Santa Ana, CA 92706 (for Orange Co.)
Women’s Business Center for North Alabama
185 Chateau Drive, 200 D
Huntsville, Alabama 35802 (for Northern AL counties)
Women’s Business Center of Southern Alabama
1301 Azalea Road, Suite 201A
Mobile, AL 36693
Foundation for California State University/Coachella Valley Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship California State University, San Bernardino 5500 University Parkway San Bernardino, CA 92407
Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Team
414 Silver, SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
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