Women's Business Center - Initial Phase Grant

The purpose of this FOA is to provide funding for up to two private, non-profit organizationsthat will provide entrepreneurial development services to women, with an emphasis on sociallyand economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs, within the State of West Virginia.Eligible applicants must be private, non-profit organizations with 501(c)- tax exempt status fromthe U.S. Treasury/Internal Revenue Service and must provide services to the State of WestVirginia.Note: Public non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses are not eligible for these awards.Public non-profits are organizations, such as churches, schools, and hospitals that generallyprovide charitable services directly to the public, that are funded in large part by public donationsand have many outside, unaffiliated directors. An organization that is operating or has operatedan SBA-funded WBC within the past five years, if selected, will be awarded as a Renewal PhaseProject. Likewise, an organization that previously operated an SBA-funded WBC that is nolonger operating, if eligible to apply and selected, will also be awarded as a Renewal PhaseProject since this application will be treated as an effort to re-establish the WBC.Recognizing the important role that Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) (e.g., HistoricallyBlack Colleges and Universities [HBCUs], Hispanic-Serving Institutions [HSIs] from theHispanic Association of Colleges and Universities [HACU], and Asian American NativeAmerican Pacific Islander Institutions [AANAPISIs]) play in meeting the needs of socially andeconomically disadvantaged markets, this program announcement seeks to encourage MSIs toprovide entrepreneurial development services to socially and economically disadvantagedentrepreneurs. MSIs and their auxiliary entities are encouraged to apply.