[Federal Register: February 10, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 27)]
[Notices]
[Page 6789]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10fe03-160]
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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Federal Assistance Grant for Women's Business Centers To Provide
Financial Counseling and Other Technical Assistance to Women
AGENCY: Small Business Administration.
ACTION: Program Announcement No. OWBO-2003-019.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to issue
program announcement No. OWBO-2003-019 to invite applications from
eligible nonprofit organizations to conduct Women's Business Center
(WBC) projects. The successful applicant will receive a cooperative
agreement to provide counseling, training and other technical
assistance to women who want to start or expand businesses. The
authorizing legislation is the the Small Business Act, sections 2(h)
and 29, 15 U.S.C. 631(h) and 656.
A Women's Business Center is a 5-year community-based project that
is funded by the SBA through a grant that requires matching funds. The
project is a planned scope of activities that provide business skills
services targeted to women. The project must operate as a distinct unit
of the recipient's organization having its own budget for facilities,
equipment and resources to carry out project activities. The WBC
services must include long-term training and counseling pertaining to
financial, management and marketing assistance to benefit small
business concerns owned and controlled by women. SBA Headquarters must
receive applications/proposals by 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the
closing date of March 26, 2003. SBA will select successful applicants
using a competitive technical evaluation process. Applicants from
states and territories without an SBA-funded Women's Business Center
(i.e., Delaware and Guam) will receive special consideration.
Service and assistance areas must include financial, management,
marketing, loan assistance, eCommerce, government procurement/
certification assistance and training on the business uses of the
Internet. Applicants must plan to include women who are socially and
economically disadvantaged in the target group. The applicant may
propose specialized services that will assist women in Empowerment
Zones, agribusiness, rural or urban areas, etc. The applicant may
propose to serve women who are veterans, women with home-based
businesses, women with disabilities, etc. SBA will request award
recipients to provide content and support activities to the SBA Online
Women's Business Center, www.onlinewbc.gov.
The applicants' technical proposal must contain information about
its current status and past performance. Also, the applicant must
provide a 5-year plan for service delivery, fund-raising, training and
technical assistance activities. The grant will be issued annually
through a 5-year term without re-competition. The non-Federal match
requirement is one non-Federal dollar for each two Federal dollars in
years 1 and 2; and one non-Federal dollar for each Federal dollar in
years 3, 4, and 5. Up to one-half of the non-Federal match funds may be
in the form of in-kind contributions (i.e., 50% of match must be in
cash).
DATES: The opening date of the application period February 19, 2003 and
the closing date is March 26, 2003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested parties may access Program
Announcement No. OWBO-2003-019 and application materials on the
application opening date of February 19, 2003 at http://WWW.onlinewbc.gov/grant.html.
If necessary, contact Sally Murrell WBC
Program Manager at (202) 205-6673 or Mina Bookhard, Grant Officer at
(202) 205-7080.
Wilma Goldstein,
Assistant Administrator, SBA /Office of Women's Business Ownership.
[FR Doc. 03-3135 Filed 2-7-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8025-01-P