Free help
Free and low-cost help for women business owners.
Counseling, mentors, small loans and certifications, with where each program stands in September 2026, plus how to spot a grant scam.
Counseling and mentors
-
SBA Women's Business Centers
Counseling and training focused on women who want to start, grow, or expand a small business. Find the nearest center by ZIP code with SBA's local assistance tool.
Cost: No cost to low cost.
Status, September 2026 SBA.gov listed Women's Business Centers as an active resource partner network in September 2026.
-
SCORE business mentoring
Ongoing mentoring from volunteer business experts by email, phone, and video, plus training, webinars, online workshops, and on-demand courses.
Cost: No cost.
Status, September 2026 SBA.gov listed SCORE as a resource partner, and score.org was matching people with mentors by ZIP code, in September 2026.
Loans and grants
-
SBA Microloan program
Loans up to $50,000 for working capital, inventory, supplies, furniture, fixtures, machinery, or equipment. The average microloan is about $13,000, and loans can't pay existing debts or buy real estate.
Cost: Interest rates vary by lender, generally 8% to 13%, with a maximum term of seven years.
Status, September 2026 SBA.gov listed the program as available in September 2026.
-
Grants.gov
The official search for federal grant opportunities. Listings are for organizations that run government-funded programs and projects, not personal financial assistance.
Cost: No cost to search.
Status, September 2026 Grants.gov was live and searchable in September 2026.
-
SBA doesn't fund startups with grants
SBA doesn't give grants for starting or expanding a business. Its grants go to nonprofits, resource partners, and educational organizations that run counseling and training.
Source: SBA, Grants
-
What Grants.gov lists
Grants.gov is the official federal grant search, but its listings are for organizations that run government-funded programs and projects, not personal financial help.
Source: Grants.gov
Watch out
Grant and loan scams
-
Government grant scams
Government agencies don't reach out unprompted to offer grants, and none will demand payment to get one. Real grants require an application, and the full list of federal grants is on Grants.gov at no cost.
-
How to spot fake SBA contacts
SBA only emails from addresses ending in @sba.gov. SBA's Inspector General says to suspect fraud if someone promises SBA loan approval in exchange for an upfront payment.
Source: SBA Office of Inspector General, Protect yourself from scams and fraud
Certifications and federal programs
These matter most if you want to sell to the government. Some changed in 2025 and 2026.
-
Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB) certification
Lets certified businesses compete for federal contracts set aside for the program. A WOSB must be small and at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are US citizens and who run daily operations. EDWOSB owners also need a personal net worth under $850,000, average adjusted gross income of $400,000 or less, and $6.5 million or less in personal assets.
Cost: No charge to apply through SBA Certifications.
Status, September 2026 SBA.gov described the program as open for certification in September 2026. Firms certified by an approved third party must also upload proof of citizenship to SBA.
-
SBA 8(a) Business Development program
A nine-year federal contracting and business development program for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged US citizens, usually after at least two years in business.
Status, September 2026 SBA finalized a rule in August 2026 that ends race-based presumptions of social disadvantage, so individual applicants must prove it with verifiable evidence. On September 10, 2026, SBA said it will fast-track applicants in defense-critical industries and restore potential-for-success reviews.
-
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center Program
Business Centers that provide technical assistance to participating businesses, run under cooperative agreements MBDA awarded in 2023.
Status, September 2026 MBDA still exists and says its technical assistance programs continue, per an August 18, 2026 Federal Register notice. A March 2025 executive order directed it to shrink to the minimum the law requires, and the fiscal year 2027 budget request proposes eliminating it.
The Minority Business Development Agency, 2025 to 2026
-
2025 order to shrink MBDA
Executive Order 14238, signed March 14, 2025, directed MBDA and six other federal entities to eliminate non-statutory functions and cut their statutory work to the minimum the law requires.
Source: Federal Register, Executive Order 14238, Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy
-
MBDA Business Centers in 2026
In an August 18, 2026 Federal Register notice, MBDA said its technical assistance programs continue, including the Business Center Program, and asked for public comments on that program's reporting through October 19, 2026.
Source: Federal Register, MBDA information collection notice (August 2026)
-
Proposed MBDA elimination
The President's fiscal year 2027 budget proposes eliminating MBDA, a cut of $47 million.
Source: Budget of the U.S. Government, Fiscal Year 2027, Department of Commerce chapter
-
8(a) eligibility changed in 2026
SBA said on September 10, 2026 that it had issued a final rule the month before ending the presumption that members of racial minority groups are socially disadvantaged for the 8(a) program. Individual applicants now must prove social disadvantage with verifiable, fact-based evidence.
Source: SBA news release, September 2026