Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 33 million small businesses, announced $3 million in new funding under the Cybersecurity for Small Businesses Pilot Program. Three grants will be awarded to state agencies to provide training, counseling and other tailored cybersecurity services for startups and emerging entrepreneurs.
“Small businesses account for 99.9 percent of all American businesses and employ nearly half the private workforce. Any cyber threat to our small businesses is a threat to our country’s overall economy,” said SBA Administrator Guzman. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity and equipping small businesses with the tools they need to strengthen their cyber health and prevent costly attacks that disrupt their businesses. Through this new funding, the SBA will fund ecosystem partners to provide more cyber training and counseling to strengthen small businesses’ ability to compete in this increasingly digital economy.”
Cybersecurity grant applicants
Applications will be accepted from July 2-Aug. 2. Applicants can apply for awards ranging from $1,000,000 to $1,045,000 for a performance period of 24 months ending September 2026.
Eligible applicants include state and territorial government agencies. These organizations seek to provide training, counseling and other tailored cybersecurity services for startups and emerging entrepreneurs.
The competitive funding opportunity for state governments will support efforts to educate emerging small businesses when they are most vulnerable to cyber threats and to help them develop robust cybersecurity measures.
Cybersecurity grant program
SBA’s Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program has awarded nearly $9 million in funding since 2022. Proposals responding to this Funding Opportunity Number SB-OEDCS-24-001 must be posted to Grants.gov under “Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot” by 11:59 p.m. (EDT), Aug. 2.
In addition to the grant program, the SBA and Resource Partners offer other cybersecurity resources, including in-person and online training. To find these SBA local resources, visit www.sba.gov/local-assistance. To learn more about SBA’s programs and services related to cybersecurity, visit www.sba.gov/cybersecurity and https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber.
About the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program
Cyberattacks are a growing threat to small businesses and the U.S. economy. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report, the cost of cybercrimes against small businesses reached $2.9 billion in 2023. Small businesses are attractive targets because they have information that cybercriminals want. They typically lack the security infrastructure of larger businesses.
According to an SBA survey, 88 percent of small business owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack. Many businesses can’t afford professional IT solutions, have limited time to devote to Cybersecurity or don’t know where to begin. State governments that seek to provide training, counseling and other tailored cybersecurity services for emerging small businesses are eligible.
This pilot program empowers state governments to expand existing services, innovate, adapt to current environments, develop new resources and scale solutions to assist more small businesses. Additionally, expanding access to underserved and underrepresented small business ecosystems will be a critical marker of success.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. SBA is the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government. The SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Interested in learning about cybersecurity for small businesses? Check this article.
Add Comment