SBA Women’s Business Center Network Expanded to All 50 States

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced the launch of the 141st Women’s Business Center (WBC) in Anchorage, Alaska. With this launch, it officially puts an SBA WBC in every state and Puerto Rico for the first time in the history of the SBA.

The SBA touts the announcement as highlighting its commitment to create funding opportunities that increase equity for small business owners.

Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman called this a "milestone achievement" for the SBA’s mission to advance equity and reach more women entrepreneurs with services that "make a difference."

“Women are leading America’s entrepreneurial renaissance, and, under the Biden-Harris Administration, the SBA has delivered billions of dollars in financial assistance, expanded our services, and extended our reach to help more women entrepreneurs seize the opportunities of our nation’s growing recovery and realize their American dream of starting and growing a successful business,” said Guzman.

She went on to congratulate the Seattle Economic Development Fund, which will operate the Anchorage WBC, for its partnership with the SBA to expand the network and "help build even more momentum for women entrepreneurs in Alaska.”

WBCs provide one-on-one counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs. They cover a variety of business topics, such as startup, financial management, marketing, and procurement. They also aim to help entrepreneurs pivot, grow, and take advantage of contracting opportunities created through the $1 trillion infrastructure law passed in November.

The new Anchorage center will help increase opportunities and recovery solutions for women entrepreneurs, according to the SBA. It will also continue its outreach efforts to diverse communities, such as rural-based and Native American and Indigenous-owned small businesses, it said.

The network of WBCs around the country are funded and supported by the SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO).

“Having a Women’s Business Center in every state in the union and Puerto Rico demonstrates the commitment of Administrator Guzman to provide women entrepreneurs across the nation access to the resources and supports they need to grow and excel,” said Natalie Madeira Cofield, Assistant Administrator for OWBO. “As our first WBC to serve the state of Alaska for the Agency in over a decade, we look forward to the accessibility and community this center will provide women as they navigate entrepreneurship.”

SBA Assistant Administrator, Office of Women’s Business Ownership, Natalie Madeira Cofield

Since March 2021, 24 new Women’s Business Centers have opened around the country, including three affiliated with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and two in Puerto Rico.

The SBA also recently announced the expansion of a pilot program aimed at improving access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs. This includes reforms to its Community Advantage loan program, which prioritizes equitable access to capital for low-income borrowers and those from underserved communities.