This month is Women's History Month – a month dedicated to commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women's contributions in American history. Diana Lewis Jackson, President and CEO of Action Facilities Management (AFM) and the U.S. Small Business Administration's Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year is an example of this excellence. AFM found success as a woman-owned certified small business specializing in government and commercial facilities management supporting clients in 11 states and Washington, D.C.
Last month, Ms. Jackson was one of the panelists in SBA's Black History Program, together with other Black-owned businesses sharing their small business stories, how they pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they utilized SBA's critical financial lifelines. The Honorable Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA-2) and Congressional Black Caucus member also gave remarks during the program.
Every year since it was established in 1994, the federal government's goal is to award at least 5 percent of all federal contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses. SBA's Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program is on the front line of certifying women-owned businesses and helping them succeed in competing on set-asides and sole-source contracting.
The federal government met and exceeded the WOSB 5% goal for the first time in 2015, with over $17 billion awarded to women-owned businesses. The government exceeded the goal for the second time in history just this past year. In addition, SBA published a new regulation establishing the formal certification process for WOSBs and launched beta.certify.sba.gov. We've also continued to add more resources for Women-Owned Small Businesses in our certification knowledge base.
The WOSB Federal Contracting Program continues full steam ahead in 2021. In fact, SBA recently issued it's 1,000th certification in the WSOB Federal Contracting Program. This outstanding milestone is just the beginning.
SBA continues to partner with Women Impacting Public Policy and American Express on initiatives like, ChallengeHER, to boost government contracting opportunities and provide support through training. SBA also has 68 district offices and resource partners available to assist women-owned small businesses. You can find your nearest resource partner or Procurement Technical Assistance Center at https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance.
SBA remains committed to helping small business owners like Diana Lewis Jackson succeed, grow, and create jobs in federal contracting.