FY 24 congressional community project funding womens business development center

This federal Project Grant award of $500,000 was provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of the Chief Operating Officer under the Congressional Grants program (CFDA 59.059). The grant, awarded on July 1, 2024, will fund the Women's Business Development Center, Inc. (WBDC) to deliver comprehensive business development services and support to women entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Chicago, IL area.

As a non-profit organization, WBDC empowers women-owned enterprises through training, counseling, business planning, financing assistance, marketing support, government contracting guidance, and certification services. The grant will enable WBDC to expand its delivery of these entrepreneurship programs, with a focus on serving socially and economically disadvantaged business owners. WBDC has a proven track record of administering federal grants from the SBA and Department of Transportation to foster small business success, including recent multi-year awards totaling $600K and $420K in CARES Act funding.