[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 6789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-3135]


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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