SBA Announces $3 Million in New Grant Funding to Strengthen Cybersecurity Infrastructure for Emerging Small Businesses
July 15 2024 - 1:40PM
Today, 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.
“With small businesses accounting for 99.9 percent of all
American businesses and employing nearly half of 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.”
Applications will be accepted from July 2-Aug. 2, and 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 that 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.
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 along with Resource
Partners offers other cybersecurity resources to small businesses,
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 ProgramCyberattacks 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 the small business community
reached $2.9 billion in 2023. Small businesses are attractive
targets because they have information that cybercriminals want, and
they typically lack the security infrastructure of larger
businesses.
According to an SBA survey, 88% of small business owners felt
their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack. Yet many businesses
can’t afford professional IT solutions, have limited time to devote
to Cybersecurity, or don’t know where to begin. Eligible applicants
consist of state governments that seek to provide training,
counseling, and other tailored cybersecurity services for emerging
small businesses.
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. As 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.
Christine Saah Nazer
U.S. Small Business Administration
202-756-0304
Kirk.McElwain@sba.gov