[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 70755]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32692]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Federal Assistance for Women's Business Centers (WBC) 
Sustainability Pilot Program To Provide Financial Counseling and Other 
Technical Assistance to Women

AGENCY: Small Business Administration.

ACTION: Program Announcement No. OWBO-2000-014.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to issue 
program announcement No. OWBO-2000-014 to invite applications from 
eligible nonprofit organizations to conduct Women's Business Center 
(WBC) projects. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations that 
have received financial assistance from SBA under its WBC Program. To 
be eligible the applicant must be either in the final year of its WBC 
5-year project or have completed a WBC project financed by SBA which 
continues to provide assistance to women entrepreneurs. Funds will be 
provided to continue business training, counseling and technical 
assistance to women for an additional 5-year period. The authorizing 
legislation to establish this 4-year pilot program is the Women's 
Business Center Sustainability Act and the Small Business Act, sections 
2 (h) and 29, 15 U.S.C. 631 (h) and 656. SBA Headquarters must receive 
applications/proposals by 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the 
closing date of the application period. SBA will select successful 
applicants using a competitive process. Applications will be reviewed 
and awarded simultaneously with other applications for first-time WBCs 
submitted under Program Announcement No. OWBO-2000-013.
    Service and assistance areas must include financial, management, 
marketing, loan packaging, eCommerce and government procurement/
certification assistance. 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, women who are veterans, women with disabilities, 
women with home-based businesses, women in agribusiness, or women in 
rural or urban areas.
    SBA will require award recipients to provide content and support to 
the SBA-funded Online Women's Business Center, (www.onlinewbc,org) and 
provide training on the business uses of the Internet. Applicants' 
technical proposal must contain information about its current status 
and past performance, and a 5-year plan for service delivery, fund-
raising, training and technical assistance activities. A center may 
receive financial assistance up to four years during the pilot's 
authoriziation period, however, the award will be issued annually to 
conduct a 12-month project.
    The non-Federal match requirement is one non-Federal dollar for 
each Federal dollar in years 1 through 5 of the project. Up to one-half 
of the non-Federal matching funds may be in the form of in-kind 
contributions.

DATES: The application period will be from late December 1999 to late 
February 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sally Murrell, (202) 205-6673 or Mina 
Wales (202) 205-7080.
Sherrye P. Henry,
Assistant Administrator, SBA/Office of Women's Business Ownership.
[FR Doc. 99-32692 Filed 12-16-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8025-01-P