The agency got another step closer to reaching that goal this week with the funding of 15 upcoming centers. With funding for these new centers, we are near our goal of having at least one women's business center in every state of the U.S., Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The centers offer training, counseling and mentoring services to women entrepreneurs, including those in the start-up and exploration phases of business ownership. The training includes programs in such areas as financial management, marketing and procurement. Displaced workers and rural, home-based business owners have access to special programs to meet their needs.
Some centers even offer services in several languages.
And that's not all. The agency will choose agencies that are in their fifth year of SBA funding or have used up their current grants. The Women's Business Center program has come along way since being established by Congress in 1988 as the Women's Demonstration Program. By the end of 1989, there were four centers. Inc. Privacy Statement and Legal Notices Reproduction or unauthorized use of this material is prohibited.