WASHINGTON, May 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 33 million small businesses, announced $300,000 in funding for three organizations to deliver the SBA’s Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program (WVETP) to local veterans.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to honoring the service of the over two million women veterans in the U.S. by making sure we support those who are looking to start or grow a business,” said Administrator Guzman. “We are proud to invest in women veterans by collaborating with these incredible mission-driven organizations to deliver the SBA’s Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program and empower women veterans with skills and guidance to build resilient businesses.”

This grant funding opportunity, provided by SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development, supports each organization’s programs to engage women veterans in entrepreneurship by helping them through the planning stages of a new business or finding new ways to grow their existing small business. Over 9,500 women veterans participated in WVETPs during fiscal year 2023.

Each awardee demonstrated a clear history and commitment to providing training and resources specific to the needs of women veterans.

The WVETP awardees are as follows:

Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families: Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) (Syracuse, NY) – $150,000

The V-WISE program is an intensive three-phase program containing a 15-day online preparatory course, a three-day residency program, and post-training technical support. The program empowers women veterans and military spouses to find passion and learn the business savvy skills necessary to turn an idea or start-up into a growing venture.

ONABEN: Beyond the Boots: A Veteran and Service Member Initiative (Tulsa, OK) – $75,000

ONABEN is a non-profit organization that delivers economic and entrepreneurial development services to the Native American business community. The Beyond the Boots program gives women veterans, service members, and military spouses resources to grow in business, explore the importance of social entrepreneurship, and overcome small business challenges through culturally appropriate capacity building, peer coaching, and entrepreneurial activities.

Utah Veteran Business Resource Center (VBRC) at Salt Lake Community College: Startup Training Resources to Inspire Veteran Entrepreneurship (STRIVE) (Salt Lake City, UT) – $75,000

STRIVE is a 10-week build-your-business course that is tailored to the unique choices women need to make to navigate biases and other situations they face in business. The STRIVE program is provided in partnership with Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), the National Association of Community College Educators (NACCE), and the VBRC. Support from SBA’s WVETP will allow 220 women veterans to participate in the program, expanding economic opportunities and empowering Utah’s servicewomen and their families.

To learn more about SBA’s programs for veterans, visit www.sba.gov/veterans.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or 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.

About the Office of Veterans Business Development
The SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD) works through the SBA’s extensive resource partner network, which includes Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, Women’s Business Centers, and 28 VBOCs located throughout the nation. VBOCs are also the leading partner in hosting the “Boots to Business” and “Boots to Business Reboot” programs, which offer courses on entrepreneurship on military installations and in local communities. Since the program’s inception in 2013, Boots to Business has trained and graduated more than 200,000 service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses. For more information on the resources available for veteran entrepreneurs, visit www.sba.gov/veterans.

Kirk McElwain
U.S. Small Business Administration
202-205-6175
Kirk.McElwain@sba.gov