Small Business

Census Bureau: New Data on Minority-Owned, Veteran-Owned and Women-Owned Businesses Released

The U.S. Census Bureau today released new estimates on the characteristics of employer businesses. According to the 2023 Annual Business Survey (ABS), which covers reference year 2022, there were approximately 5.9 million U.S. employer firms, of which 1.3 million (22.6%) were minority-owned; 273,542 (4.7%) were veteran-owned; and around 1.3 million (22.3%) were owned by women. This release also includes…

SBA: Growth Accelerator Fund Competition to Accelerate Innovation-Driven Ecosystem Building Announced Offering Up to $9 Million in Awards

Entrepreneur Support Organizations Will Compete in Two Stages for $75,000 to $150,000; 2025 Application Opens Jan. 8, 2025 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 34 million small businesses and startups, announced the upcoming launch of the 2025 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition…

FFIEC: Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies Release 2023 Small Business, Small Farm, and Community Development Lending Data

he federal bank regulatory agencies, as members of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), today released data on small business, small farm, and community development lending during 2023. The Community Reinvestment Act regulations require the agencies to annually disclose these data. The FFIEC also prepared aggregate disclosure statements of small business and small farm…

EDA: $600,000 Invested to Support Small Business Growth in Puerto Rico

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $600,000 grant to Friends of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, to support small business growth in the region. This grant will establish a technical assistance program to provide training, education, and access to funding for small businesses impacted by Hurricane Fiona. This EDA…

SBA: Interagency Task Force to Address Veteran Small Business Development at December 11th Public Meeting

Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the upcoming quarterly meeting for the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on Veterans Small Business Development will be Wednesday, Dec. 11. This meeting is open to the public. “Veterans and military families have an innate persistence that makes them well-suited for entrepreneurship and the Small Business Administration is proud…

ABA: Associations Representing Banks and Credit Unions of All Sizes Call on Congress to Reject New Credit Card Mandates

Any legislative initiatives to expand the power of the federal government to intervene in the U.S. credit card market would harm small businesses and consumers across the country, the American Bankers Association, America’s Credit Unions, Bank Policy Institute, Consumer Bankers Association, Electronic Payments Coalition, Independent Community Bankers of America, Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America, and…

SBA: Season of Small Business to Kick Off with Small Business Saturday on November 30th

This Year’s Theme — Gift Big, Shop Local™ — Encourages Shoppers to Support Local Small Businesses Throughout the Holiday Season 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 34 million small businesses, is urging Americans to embrace the spirit of the holiday…

CFPB: Pilot Study Finds Differential Treatment in Small Business Lending Markets

Lenders less likely to encourage Black entrepreneurs and more often steer them toward alternative financing Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a study revealing significant disparities in how lenders treat Black and white small business owners seeking loans. The research found that Black entrepreneurs received less encouragement to apply for a loan and…

SBA: Surety Program Notches Best Year in 25 Years, Bonding $2.8B in Contracts to Small Businesses

Agency Announces Top Performing Surety Partners, Bonding Agencies “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the SBA’s capital programs have been transformed to reach new highs as we continue to deliver historic levels of support for small businesses – including those benefiting from new contracts and supply chain expansion under the President’s Investing in America Agenda,” said SBA Administrator…

SBA: New Report Reveals Historic Surge in Small Business Financing

Dramatic FY24 Growth Driven by Small-Dollar 7(a) Loans and Loans to Women, Black, and Latino Entrepreneurs Today, Vice President Kamala Harris and Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s more than 34 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, announced(Link is external) that the SBA delivered a transformative $56 billion…