SBA Announces $3 Million in New Grant Funding to Strengthen Cybersecurity Infrastructure for Emerging Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 16, 2024) – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced $3 million in new funding under the Cybersecurity for Small Businesses Pilot Program. Three grants will be awarded to state agencies to provide training, counseling, and other tailored cybersecurity services for startups and emerging entrepreneurs.

“With small businesses accounting for 99.9 percent of all American businesses and employing nearly half of the private workforce, any cyber threat to our small businesses is a threat to our country’s overall economy,” said SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity and equipping small businesses with the tools they need to strengthen their cyber health and prevent costly attacks that disrupt their businesses. Through this new funding, the SBA will fund ecosystem partners to provide more cyber training and counseling to strengthen small businesses’ ability to compete in this increasingly digital economy.”

Applications will be accepted until Aug. 2, 2024 and applicants can apply for awards ranging from $1,000,000 to $1,045,000 for a performance period of 24 months ending September 2026.

Eligible applicants include state and territorial government agencies that seek to provide training, counseling and other tailored cybersecurity services for startups and emerging entrepreneurs.

The competitive funding opportunity for state governments will support efforts to educate emerging small businesses when they are most vulnerable to cyber threats and to help them develop robust cybersecurity measures.

SBA’s Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program has awarded nearly $9 million in funding since 2022. Proposals responding to this Funding Opportunity Number SB-OEDCS-24-001 must be posted to Grants.gov under “Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot” by 11:59 p.m. (EDT), Aug. 2.

In addition to the grant program, the SBA along with Resource Partners offers other cybersecurity resources to small businesses, including in-person and online training. To find these SBA local resources, visit www.sba.gov/local-assistance. To learn more about SBA’s programs and services related to cybersecurity, visit www.sba.gov/cybersecurity and https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber(Link is external).

About the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program

Cyberattacks are a growing threat to small businesses and the U.S. economy. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report, the cost of cybercrimes against the small business community reached $2.9 billion in 2023. Small businesses are attractive targets because they have information that cybercriminals want, and they typically lack the security infrastructure of larger businesses.

According to an SBA survey, 88% of small business owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack. Yet many businesses can’t afford professional IT solutions, have limited time to devote to Cybersecurity, or don’t know where to begin. Eligible applicants consist of state governments that seek to provide training, counseling, and other tailored cybersecurity services for emerging small businesses.

This pilot program empowers 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.