On August 27, 2024, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and a member of President Biden’s Cabinet, announced more than $1 million in grant awards to three organizations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico. These grants aim to establish new Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs) to enhance training and counseling services for veteran and military spouse small business owners. The new centers will commence their project periods on September 1.
"The expansion of SBA’s network of Veterans Business Outreach Centers has been a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration as we work to ensure our military-connected entrepreneurs have better access to SBA’s resources to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams following their service to our nation,” said Administrator Guzman. “With these new grants, veterans, service members and military families in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico will have local, trusted institutions ready to help them start and grow their businesses – strengthening their communities and our economy.”
“Thanks to this additional funding, we can increase our Veterans Business Outreach Centers and significantly support thousands of transitioning service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and their spouses in starting and growing their businesses," said Robert Yannuzzi, Assistant Administrator for the SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development. “VBOCs supported more than 53,000 clients in fiscal year 2023, and this expansion will help grow that number year over year.”
The announcement expands the VBOC program from 28 to 31 locations across all U.S. states and territories including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. Organizations receiving VBOC grants are dedicated to helping veterans address challenges they face through services such as:
- Business planning: Training on accounting, financial planning,
and management.
- Assistance accessing capital: Help with understanding available capital
and accessing financing.
- Government contracting guidance: Training on veteran business certification
and best practices for government contracts.
- Marketing and outreach: Promoting veteran-owned businesses.
- Transitioning: Providing "Boots to Business" instruction for active-duty
service members transitioning out of the military.
Grant awardees include:
- Economic and Community Development Institute Inc. (ECDI) – Columbus,
OH (Coverage Area: Ohio)
- Pennsylvania State University – University Park,
PA (Coverage Area: Pennsylvania)
- Corporación para el Financiamiento Empresarial del Comercio y de las Comunidades (COFECC) – San Juan,
PR (Coverage Area: Puerto Rico
and U.S. Virgin Islands)
For more information or to find a VBOC near you visit www.sba.gov/vboc.
The SBA will celebrate National Veterans Small Business Week from November 11–15 with events nationwide.
About SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development
The SBA Office of Veterans Business Development works through an extensive resource partner network including Small Business Development Centers,
the SCORE mentoring program,
Women’s Business Centers,
and VBOCs nationwide.
VBOCs host programs like “Boots to Business” offering entrepreneurship courses on military installations since its inception in 2013,
training over 211 thousand service members,
veterans,
National Guard members,
Reserve members,
and military spouses.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration empowers entrepreneurs with resources needed for starting or expanding businesses or recovering from disasters through an extensive network of field offices
and partnerships with public
and private organizations.
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