Home > About BNE > Press Room > 2011 Archive > February > Small Businesses in N. Y. to Benefit Through Federal Grant of $3 million

Small Businesses in N. Y. to Benefit Through Federal Grant of $3 million

By Jonathan D. Epstein

February 3, 2011
 
 A new $3 million federal grant to an arm of the U. S. Small Business Administration will provide more resources to small businesses across New York State, including five more business-development advisers for Western New York.

The one-time funding to the SBA’s New York State Small Business Development Center will help the agency’s office at Buffalo State College, as well as others statewide.

Local SBDCs will be able to hire five advisers in Western New York, seven in Eastern New York, four in Central New York and 11 in New York City and Long Island, plus three part-time administrative personnel.

The money, provided under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 that President Obama signed in September, is part of a larger $50 million allocation to SBDCs nationwide to support job creation and retention among small businesses.

It is intended to “meet the critical need for business expansion and job creation” but is not designed to replace the core or matching funds that the SBDCs require to sustain operations every year, according to an SBA news release.

The goal is to help the agencies provide in-depth business counseling and advice to small-business owners and entrepreneurs, enabling them to grow or start businesses.

Separately, the SBA said this week that small businesses owned by women can start taking steps to participate in a new federal contracting program Friday, with the first contracts expected to be awarded by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, which ends Sept. 30. Details will be released Friday.

The new Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program, which will be fully implemented over the next few months, is designed to provide more access to federal contracts for small businesses owned by women.

It allows contracting officers, for the first time, to set aside specific contracts for certified women-owned companies. Under federal law, 5 percent of federal contracting dollars are supposed to go to women-owned firms.

To participate, small firms must be at least 51 percent owned or controlled by at least one woman and must be primarily managed by at least one woman, who must have U. S. citizenship. Their qualifications must also be certified.

The SBA is encouraging businesses to review the program requirements, file any required documents and update their contractor registrations to show they are eligible to participate. Final rules and procedures are expected to be completed by April.

jepstein@buffnews.com