Individualized coaching and training to help disadvantaged small businesses and others grow with government contracts.
About Empower to Grow
The Empower to Grow program, formerly known as 7(j) Management and Technical Assistance program, provides eligible U.S. small businesses with free business courses, tailored training, and one-on-one consulting to support their growth, operations, hiring, regulatory compliance, and government contracting competitiveness. The Empower to Grow program uplifts businesses to be procurement ready for federal, state, and local government contracts.
The Empower to Grow program recently underwent significant improvements including:
- Customized one-on-one training tailored to small business needs
- Networking and matchmaking events with agencies & prime contractors
- Relaunching Federal Market Acceleration Program (FedMAP), a 3-month government contracting training led by business development experts that now features one-on-one coaching
- A federal contractor master class with new tools & techniques for small business bidding, including Sources Sought & Request for Information requirements
- New tools for 8(a) firms to access $2 trillion in state and local bid opportunities
Program benefits
Businesses in the program receive training, executive education, and one-on-one consulting in a wide range of activities, and the opportunity to participate in courses in the following areas:
- Finding, bidding, and completing government contracts
- Strategic and operational planning
- Business development
- Accounting
- Marketing
- Financial analysis
- Compliance
- Cybersecurity and ecommerce
- Business-related software/technology
Program qualifications
To be eligible for the Empower to Grow program, a small business must qualify as small according to SBA’s size standards and be one or more of the following:
- Located in areas of high unemployment or low income
- Owned by low-income individuals
- Eligible for SBA’s 8(a) program
Training opportunities
Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship
Serving the following SBA Regions:
- Mid-Atlantic – MD, DE, PA, VA, DC, WV
- Rocky Mountain – CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY
- Pacific – AZ, HI, CA, NV, GU
- Pacific Northwest – AK, ID, OR, WA
Serving the following SBA Regions:
- Great Lakes – OH, IL, IN, MI, MN, WI
- South Central – AR, TX, LA, NM, OK
- Great Plains – IA, KS, NE, MO
Serving the following SBA Regions:
- New England – CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT
- Atlantic – NY, NJ, PR, VI
- Southeast – AL, GA, KY, MS, NC, FL, SC, TN
Need help?
If you have questions about the Empower to Grow program, contact SBA’s Office of Business Development at e2g@sba.gov.
Discover more SBA resources for veterans.