What Happened?

About 168 federally supported centers that help women start and grow small businesses could lose their dedicated funding. The Trump administration's fiscal year 2027 budget request proposed zero dollars for the Women's Business Centers program, a network run through the Small Business Administration (SBA) that provides business counseling and management services to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. [](#ngr-e984258b-2c0d-4c1f-b493-b1d459522c26)

Congress approved $27 million for the program in fiscal year 2026. The administration's proposal would cut that to nothing in the next budget cycle.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

The centers don't hand out cash directly to business owners. Instead, they offer free or low-cost counseling, training, and management help, the kind of support that can be hard to find or afford elsewhere.

In 2024, the 168 active centers served nearly 95,000 clients, according to a 2025 evaluation commissioned by the SBA. The evaluation found that clients were more likely to start a new business compared to clients of similar federal resource programs, and that median gross revenue for Women's Business Centers clients rose moderately during the study period.

The centers are run by nonprofit organizations, not the federal government directly. Initial grants run up to five years, with follow-on grants capped at $150,000 a year. If federal funding disappears, those nonprofits would need to find other sources of money to keep operating.

Both Sides, Now

The administration's budget proposal does not include a public explanation for the cut. Supporters of the program point to the SBA-commissioned evaluation's findings: more new businesses started and rising client revenues.

The same evaluation, though, found that Women's Business Centers clients took out smaller average loans and saw slower business growth than small businesses that did not use the services. The evaluation also said it could not conclusively explain some of the differences between the centers and other federal small-business programs, and it recommended the SBA collect more data before drawing firm conclusions.

A bill in Congress, H.R. 9818, the Women's Business Centers Improvement Act of 2026, would expand the program rather than cut it. It would double the continuation-grant cap from $150,000 to $300,000 per year and extend the grant period from three years to five. It would also open eligibility to state, regional, and local economic development organizations, not just nonprofits.

The Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan research arm of Congress, reviewed the program's history and outcomes but did not recommend a funding level or take a position on the administration's proposal.

What Happens Next?

Congress controls the final budget. Lawmakers must decide whether to accept the administration's zero-funding proposal, restore the $27 million from fiscal year 2026, or pass something different. H.R. 9818 would also need to clear committee and pass both chambers before it could become law. No vote on either the budget or the bill is currently scheduled.

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