The Office of Entrepreneurial Development’s mission is to help small businesses start, grow, and compete in global markets.
Mission statement
The Office of Entrepreneurial Development’s mission is to help small businesses start, grow, and compete in global markets by running grant programs funding resource partners and facilitating training, counseling, and access to resources.
About our office
The Office of Entrepreneurial Development (OED) oversees a nationwide network of programs and services that provide individualized training and counseling needs for small business. It is the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) technical assistance arm, primarily funding resource partners providing services tailored to local communities. Services include training and technical assistance, and access to capital, federal contracts, and international trade opportunities. OED also develops other public-private partnerships to deliver assistance and content at no cost to taxpayers.
Programs and services within OED’s network include:
- Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) – SBA funds a nationwide service delivery network of 63 lead centers and more than 900 800 service centers designed to grow local economies by advising existing small businesses and pre-venture entrepreneurs. SBDCs advise entrepreneurs at all stages.
- Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) – SBA funds more than 100 WBCs to advise small businesses.
- SCORE – SBA funds a nonprofit SBA resource partner, SCORE, to provide free mentoring to entrepreneurs and small business owners through its nationwide network of over 9,000 volunteers across almost 200 chapters. Mentors are experienced business professionals who provide personalized guidance.
- SBA Learning Platform – Offers entrepreneurs and small business owners free, on-demand online courses covering essential business topics from startup fundamentals to growth strategies, providing convenient, self-paced education designed by small business experts.
Leadership
- Paul Fitzpatrick, Associate Administrator
Resources
Program information
SBA established the Center for Faith in response to the historic Executive Order recognizing the essential role of faith-based organizations in American economic life.
The Center brings together faith organizations and small businesses, providing resources and connections to solve problems, promote economic development and strengthen communities after disaster. We provide tools and opportunities to more effectively strengthen these organizations, their local economies, and the communities they serve.
Leadership
Janna Bowman, Director of Faith Outreach
Resources
Federal Centers for Faith
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Commerce
- U.S. Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The White House Faith Office
The White House Faith Office was established during the second presidency of Donald Trump as a White House agency to assist faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship in their efforts to strengthen American families, promote work and self-sufficiency, and protect religious liberty.
Money Smart for Small Business is a toolkit containing an instructor-led curriculum that provides an introduction to small business management topics.
Thinking of starting or already managing a business?
The Financial Literacy and Education Commission was established under Title V of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act of 2003 to improve the financial literacy and education of persons in the United States. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) wishes to bring financial literacy not only to America as a whole, but specifically to small businesses and future entrepreneurs. The commission was asked to develop a national financial education website (MyMoney.gov), along with a hotline, 1-800-FED-INFO, and a national strategy on financial education. It is chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury and comprises the heads of 22 federal entities, including SBA.
Money Smart for Small Business
Money Smart for Small Business provides a practical introduction to topics related to starting and managing a business. Developed jointly by SBA and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), this instructor-led curriculum consists of 13 modules. SBA and FDIC invite eligible organizations to begin teaching this free curriculum right away!
Money Smart modules cover a wide range of interests and knowledge level of the targeted audience. Each module is available in English and Spanish and has three components including a text-accessible instructor guide, participant guide, and PowerPoint slides. The materials are designed to teach each module in approximately 60-90 minutes. Modules can be taught in any order or independently.
Use the Business Smart Toolkit to help new and aspiring entrepreneurs launch a business idea and understand the steps to building a business that is credit-ready.
The SBA Business Smart Toolkit is a ready-to-use workshop toolkit that lays the groundwork for helping new and aspiring entrepreneurs launch a business idea and to understand the steps to building a business that is credit-ready. It is designed for local community organizations whose constituents are interested in starting a business but do not know where to begin.
The information is laid out simply in three modules.
The three modules focus on:
- Basics of business startup
- Essentials of becoming credit-ready
- How and where to find additional small business support and educational resources
Each module has approximately 60‐90 minutes of presentation material. The modules can be presented in a one-day [or multiple day] workshop(s), depending on what is best suited for the individual community. The toolkit and accompanying instructor guide are written at a level so that a community volunteer can feel comfortable presenting the information.
If you would like more information or have questions, email OED@SBA.gov.
The Small Business Development Center program promotes entrepreneurship and small business growth by funding a national network of centers.
Mission statement
The Small Business Development Center program promotes entrepreneurship, small business growth and the U.S. economy by providing the critical funding, oversight and support needed by the nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers.
About the program
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administers the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) Program in a cooperative effort with the private sector, the educational community, and federal, state, and local governments to provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. SBDCs must match SBA’s grants.
Each center develops services and cooperates with local SBA district offices to ensure statewide coordination with other available resources. There are 63 Lead Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in every state and territory, with multiple Service Center locations that form a network of more than 800 locations.
SBDCs provide services to both current or potential small business owners, including:
- Providing technical assistance to help entrepreneurs obtain capital
- Assisting small businesses with financial, marketing, production, organization, personnel, engineering and technical problems and feasibility studies
- Helping small business win government contracts
- Special SBDC programs and economic development activities including international trade assistance, technical assistance, procurement assistance, venture capital formation and rural development
The Office of Women’s Business Ownership manages the grant program funding Women’s Business Centers across the nation.
Mission statement
The Office of Women’s Business Ownership manages the grant program funding Women’s Business Centers across the nation.WBCs must match SBA’s grant. Through the management and technical assistance provided by the WBCs, entrepreneurs are offered comprehensive training and counseling on a vast array of topics to help them start and grow their own businesses.
About our office
Since it was established in response to an executive order in 1979, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership has fostered the participation of women entrepreneurs in the economy. OWBO’s programs provide business training and counseling, access to credit and capital, and marketing opportunities, including federal contracts and all of SBA’s programs.
In 1988 the SBA established the Women’s Business Center Program to better help women overcome barriers to success. Today there are Women’s Business Centers in almost every state serving both women and men.
Leadership
Elizabeth Habib, Assistant Administrator
Federal market opportunities
The SBA has a number of initiatives to help women secure better access to procurement opportunities. These include online procurement training, training through its resource partners; matchmaking events, which target both the federal and private procurement arenas; and the 8(a) Business Development Program. The SBA also works with federal agencies to increase contracting opportunities and achieve the government’s 5 percent contracting goal for women-owned small businesses.
Resources
SBA has several training and funding opportunities available specifically for women-owned businesses. There are SBA district offices in every U.S. state and a number of its territories. Local SBA staff can help find other SBA resource partners at thousands of locations, too. To learn more about the SBA’s programs and services for women, contact an SBA district office.
Contact us
Office of Women’s Business Ownership
409 3rd St. SW, Suite 6600
Washington, DC 20416
The web-based Nexus CRM has replaced EDMIS as the system of record for Resource Partner client activity and training data.
Resource Partners can upload form 641 and 888 data to Nexus from their third-party systems, or can enter the data directly.
Nexus provides statistical reports for SBA leadership, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Congress. These reports help SBA ensure that our programs are performing well.
For more information or to request access, please email us at nexus@sba.gov.
Reporting forms
OED collaborative grantee forms and worksheets
Contact us
Office of Entrepreneurial Development
409 3rd St. SW, Suite 6200
Washington, DC 20416
Email: OED@sba.gov