U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Procurement and Grants Management, 409 3rd Street, SUITE 5000,5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20416

L -- WOMEN BUSINESS CENTER PROJECTS SOL OWBO-99-012 DUE 012999 POC Sally Murrell (202) 205-6673 or Mina Wales (202) 205-7080 The Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to issue program announcement No. OWBO-99-012 to invite applications from private, not-for-profit organizations to conduct Women's Business Center projects. The authorizing legislation is the Small Business Act, Section 29, 15 USC Section 656, as amended by Pub.L. 105-277, 111 Stat. 2592. SBA will mail program announcements to interested parties between late November and early December 1998. The approximate closing date will be late January 1999. SBA Headquarters must receive applications/proposals by the date and time that will be specified in the program announcement. SBA will select successful applicants by a competitive process. The successful applicants will receive an award to provide long term training and counseling to women who want to start or expand businesses. Service and assistance areas must include financial, management, marketing and government procurement/certification assistance. Applicants must include a plan to target women who are socially and economically disadvantaged. The applicant may propose specialized services that will assist women who are veterans, disabled, rural, home-based, etc. SBA will require award recipients to provide services locally and on the Internet via the SBA-funded Online Women's Business Center,www.onlinewbc.org. Each applicant must submit a five-year plan that describes proposed fund-raising, training and technical assistance activities. A center may receive financial assistance up to five years, however, the award will be issued annually to conduct a 12-month project. Award recipients must provide non-Federal matching funds as follows: one non-Federal dollar for each two Federal dollars in years 1 and 2; one non-Federal dollar for each Federal dollar in years 3 and 4; and 2 non-Federal dollars for each Federal dollar in year 5. Up to one-half of the non-Federal matching funds may be in the form of in-kind contributions. Contact Sally Murrell, WBC Program Manager at (202) 205-6673 or Mina Wales, Agreement Officer at (202) 205-6621. Posted 11/13/98 (W-SN271146). (0317)

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