If you run a small business or want to start one, two federal programs are built for women owners. One gives you advisers; the other gives you a shot at government contracts. Both run through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Women's Business Centers: advisers near you
Women's Business Centers are part of a national network of entrepreneurship centers across the United States and its territories, set up to help women start and grow small businesses. They offer counseling and training, and the SBA describes it as free to low cost. You find the nearest one with the SBA's local assistance tool by entering your ZIP code.
The same SBA page lists two other places to get help. Small Business Development Centers advise existing businesses and people who haven't launched yet, on everything from raising capital to marketing. SCORE, a nonprofit, matches owners with volunteer mentors at no cost.
The women-owned contracting program
The federal government works to send at least 23% of its contracting dollars to small businesses each year, and within that it sets a goal of 5% for women-owned small businesses.
To help reach it, the government reserves some contracts for certified firms in the SBA's WOSB program (short for Women-Owned Small Business). Those set-asides cover goods and services in specific industries, identified by NAICS code, where women-owned firms are underrepresented. Some are limited further to economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSBs), and the SBA keeps the list of eligible industries.
One limit to know: the certification helps only with federal contracts, not private-sector work.
Who qualifies
To join the WOSB program, a business must:
- count as small by the SBA's size standards;
- be majority owned (51% or more) and controlled by U.S. citizens who are women;
- have women running day-to-day operations and making long-term decisions.
For the EDWOSB tier, each woman owner also needs a personal net worth under $850,000 (retirement accounts are left out), adjusted gross income of $400,000 or less averaged over the previous three years, and personal assets of $6.5 million or less.
How to apply
Applications go through SBA Certifications, the SBA's free online certification system, where you can check eligibility and work through pre-application checklists. The SBA also reminds owners to register in the System for Award Management (SAM), which is free, and that certification is no guarantee of a contract: you still have to go after the work.
Certified firms can still compete in other programs they qualify for, such as 8(a) and HUBZone.
The lesson worth keeping
Neither program is a grant. A Women's Business Center gives you people to think with, and WOSB certification puts you in a smaller pool of competitors for some federal work. Both reward the owner who arrives ready to use them.
Quick answers
Are Women's Business Centers free?
The SBA describes their counseling and training as free to low cost (SBA).
What is the federal contracting goal for women-owned small businesses?
5% of federal prime contracting dollars each year, inside a wider goal of at least 23% for all small businesses (SBA).
Who qualifies as a women-owned small business?
A small business that is majority owned (51% or more) and controlled by U.S. citizens who are women, with women running daily operations and long-term decisions (SBA).
