WASHINGTON – On Thursday, August 25, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 33 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, will officially announce the return of ChallengeHER—a government contracting education initiative to help women-owned small businesses gain access to federal contracts and encourage participation in the SBA’s Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program. The ChallengeHer initiative is a co-sponsorship with Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and American Express (AMEX) and will hold its first in-person event in 2022 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Last month, the SBA announced that the Biden-Harris Administration exceeded its small business federal contracting goal, awarding 27.2 percent or $154.2 billion in federal contract dollars to small businesses in FY21. Alongside a pledge to encourage more investment in Women-owned Small Businesses (WOSB), the Agency also noted that WOSBs received more than $26 billion in federal contracts. Following the passage of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act -- signed by President Biden on August 9, 2022 – American women-owned small manufacturers stand to benefit from direct, federal investment in growing our domestic manufacturing footprint which will lower costs for Americans by bringing supply chains home.
ChallengeHER is free for all registrants as part of a national initiative designed to promote the WOSB Federal Contract Program, bring more women-owned firms into the federal government’s supply chain, and provide an avenue for government agencies to meet qualified women-owned small business contractors.
WHAT: ChallengeHER Silver Spring
WHO: ChallengeHER is a joint initiative from the U.S. Small Business Administration, American Express, and Women Impacting Public Policy. Learn more on the Silver Spring ChallengeHER registration page.
WHEN: Thursday, August 25, 2022 (8 a.m. - 4 p.m. EDT)
RSVP: Please reach out to tiffani.clements@sba.gov by August 24 at 8 a.m. (EDT) to receive the event access details.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. 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.
Disclaimer: Cosponsorship Authorization # 22-34-C
SBA’s participation in this cosponsored activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.