George mason university instructional foundation

The George Mason University Instructional Foundation, Inc., operating as The Capitol Connection, received a $150,000 Project Grant awarded on September 30, 2025, by the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Entrepreneurial Development under the Women's Business Ownership Assistance program (CFDA 59.043). This award, with a completion date of September 29, 2026, funds the operation of a Women's Business Center serving women entrepreneurs in Northern Virginia. The center delivers comprehensive business development services including training, counseling, technical assistance, financial literacy instruction, and Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) certification facilitation to support women entrepreneurs in starting and expanding their ventures.

This award represents the continuation of the awardee's multi-year funding commitment under the SBA's Women's Business Centers program, which has provided four consecutive annual or multi-year Project Grants totaling $150,000 per award since September 2022. The Women's Business Centers program operates as a national network of entrepreneurship centers designed to assist women in starting and growing small businesses, with emphasis on providing services to socially and economically disadvantaged women business owners. The Capitol Connection competes without set-aside designations and maintains a diverse federal customer portfolio across 41 agencies while managing this primary grant obligation serving Northern Virginia's women entrepreneur community.