Additional Business Resources for Women & Minorities

Despite the fact that women and minority business owners are playing a larger role in our economy, they still face a number of unique obstacles in the world of business.  A number of federal government resources are in place to help address some of these problems.

The SBA Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization offers small business information on procurement opportunities, guidance on procurement procedures, and identification of both prime and subcontracting opportunities.

The Office of Women's Business Ownership operates the Online Women's Business Center is helping women start and build successful businesses.  It has programs to help women put together successful loan packages or break into the federal procurement and export markets.  It offers loan guaranty programs to help those who cannot get lending through conventional channels finance their businesses.  It offers training, advice, and counseling anytime, anywhere via the Internet, and it is at the forefront of the welfare-to-work initiative.

Tribal Business Information Centers (TBICs), funded by the SBA, address the unique conditions encountered by reservation-based Native Americans in their efforts to create, develop and expand small businesses. TBICs provide culturally tailored business development assistance to prospective and current small business owners. Through a partnership arrangement between a tribe or tribal college and the SBA, TBICs offer access to a wide variety of resources and practical guidance at accessible reservation locations. While there aren't any centers located in Idaho, click the link above to find the center nearest you.

The SBA Office of Government Contracting and Minority Enterprise Development (part of SBA) administers two particular business assistance programs for small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs). These programs are the 8(a) Business Development Program and the Small Disadvantaged Business Certification Program. While the 8(a) Program offers a broad scope of assistance to socially and economically disadvantaged firms, SDB certification strictly pertains to benefits in federal procurement. Companies that are 8(a) firms automatically qualify for SDB certification. 

The U.S. Department of Defense Indian Incentive Program for Prime Contractors and Small Businesses offers a five-percent bonus to both prime and general contractors who contract with eligible Indian-owned businesses.