WASHINGTON, July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced a national competition for $6 million in grant funding as part of a new Women’s Business Center (WBC) Modernization Initiative. Established nearly 40 years ago during the Reagan Administration, the WBC Program offers training and resources to advance women’s entrepreneurship. As part of the Modernization Initiative, the Trump SBA is establishing State Lead Centers supported by local Service Centers in selected states, creating a network of support and delivering wraparound services for small business formation and growth.

The competition will be funded by statutorily obligated funds and is limited to applicants in states and territories where existing WBC funding has not kept pace with the number of women entrepreneurs: Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The deadline for proposal submissions is August 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

“Amid record business formation in 2026, the WBC Modernization Initiative is designed to deliver a broader range of statewide resources for women entrepreneurs where business starts are growing the fastest – but where funding has fallen behind. By building coordinated networks of Lead and Service Centers, SBA is aligning counseling, training, and access to capital in a single, connected statewide system that keeps pace with entrepreneurs’ needs and helps more women start and grow businesses that create jobs and strengthen communities nationwide,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “Notably, as I testified last week, the Biden Administration failed to meet statutory grant deadlines for years, and the Trump SBA is not only addressing these administrative failures by providing the funding but modernizing programs that had been treated as box-checking exercises. American taxpayers deserve to know that any dollar deployed is being managed for return on investment.”

Across the country, demand for WBC services has outgrown the original footprint of the program. The Modernization Initiative uses a population‑based formula to help states with relatively limited WBC coverage build statewide networks—anchored by a Lead Center and supported by Service Centers—that expand access to counseling, training, and capital for entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses.

This Modernization Initiative operates as a stand‑alone project and does not change existing WBC funding. All 138 current WBCs remain in the program and continue receiving their FY26 base awards under their existing cooperative agreements. In states selected to participate in the Initiative, Lead Center awards will overlay current funding, allowing SBA to evaluate the impact of statewide networks on their own.

The grants will be available to organizations in the eight modernization locations that provide counseling and training services to women‑owned small businesses, expanding SBA’s reach to entrepreneurs who may not have access to a WBC in their community. An eligible applicant for the WBC Modernization Initiative grant must:

• Provide services, especially technical support, to entrepreneurs.
• Be organized and incorporated in the U.S. and remain in good standing in the state or territory of incorporation.
• Be a private not‑for‑profit or non‑profit corporation with an active 501(c) federal tax‑exempt status certification from the Internal Revenue Service.
• Have established organizational infrastructure with an internal financial management system that meets the requirements of 2 CFR 200.302.

Eligible organizations that are selected will be awarded up to the amount listed on the table below to open and to operate a WBC Lead Center. 

*Does not have a WBC 
**Insular area: - U.S. Code Title 48 1469a(d) 

To learn more about this grant opportunity, visit https://www.grants.gov. Questions about these grant opportunities should be directed to the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at owbo@sba.gov. The SBA will host a webinar on the following dates to inform the public about the grants. Registration is required through the links provided:

Tuesday, July 28,  from 1:00pm – 2:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, August 4, from 1:00 pm- 2:30 p.m. ET

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About the Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO)
The Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO) mission is to enable and empower women entrepreneurs through advocacy, outreach, education, and support.  Since it was established in response to an Executive Order in 1979, OWBO has provided training, counseling, technical assistance, access to credit and capital, as well as marketing opportunities to women. 

About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

SBA HQ Press Team
U.S. Small Business Administration
(202) 756-0304
press_office@sba.gov