Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), announced $3 million in new funding for state governments to help emerging small businesses across America develop their cybersecurity infrastructure – a priority of the Biden-Harris Administration, outlined in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). As part of the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program, through the Office of Entrepreneurial Development, state governments are eligible to compete for grants that will help deliver cybersecurity assistance to nascent and start-up business owners. Applications will be accepted from January 26, 2022, through March 3, 2022.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses have adopted technology at high rates to survive, operate, and grow their businesses. As a result, cybersecurity has become increasingly important as now, more than ever before, small business owners face cyber risks and challenges that could disrupt their operations and competitive advantages. As we seek to build a stronger and more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem, we must innovate and provide resources to meet the evolving needs of the growing number of small businesses. With this new funding opportunity, the SBA intends on leveraging the strengths across our state governments, territories, and tribal governments to provide services to help small businesses get cyber ready and, in the process, fortify our nation’s supply chains,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.
“The bottom line is we must do more to help small businesses combat cybersecurity threats, which continue to increase, evolve and inhibit,” said SBA Associate Administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development Mark Madrid. “This pilot program will empower 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 Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program
Eligible applicants are comprised of state governments that seek to provide training, counseling, remediation, and other tailored cybersecurity services for emerging small firms in multiple industries. Grantees will be awarded up to $1 million to assist small businesses.
Funding details and requirements are available at Grants.gov under “Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot” (Funding Opportunity Number SB-OEDCS-22-001/CDFA 59.079) offered by the SBA. Applications must be submitted by the stated deadline on the official grant application portal as stated in the funding announcement.
To learn more about SBA’s programs and services related to cybersecurity, visit www.sba.gov/cybersecurity.
To find additional SBA local resources, visit www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance.
