Consolidated Appropriations Act boosts SBA funds in fiscal 2023

      President Biden has signed the omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act appropriations law for fiscal 2023 totaling $1.7 trillion in discretionary funding for federal government agencies. It includes $858 billion for defense and $772.5 billion for civilian agencies.

      The Small Business Administration is set to receive $1.2 billion in funding, an increase of $188 million. That is an 18% boost.

      SBA also will get $320 million for its entrepreneurial development programs, an increase of $30 million from last year’s enacted level--an 11% boost.

      The SBA programs’ 2023 funding and their comparisons to 2022 funding include:

• $140 million for Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), up from $138 million last year;
• $41 million for Microloan Technical Assistance, from $37 million last year;
• $30 million for FAST ( Federal and State Technology Partnership), Growth Accelerators, and Regional Innovation Clusters, up from $17 million last year;
• $27 million for Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), up from $24.4 million;
• $20 million for STEP, same as last year;
• $17.5 million for Veterans Outreach, up from $16 million;
• $17 million for SCORE, from $14 million last year;
• $8 million for PRIME Technical Assistance, increased from $7 million;
• $4 million for 7(j) Technical Assistance, from $3.5 million last year;
• $4 million for HUBZones, up from $3 million;
• $4 million for Native American Outreach, up from $3 million;
• $3 million for Cybersecurity for the Small Business Pilot Program, same as last year;
• $3 million for Entrepreneurship Education, from $2.75 million last year; and
• $1.5 million for the National Women's Business Council, same as last year.

SBA Management Provisions - There also are items affecting SBA management:

• District Offices: SBA must report within 90 days on staffing and budget levels for the last five years for each district office;
• Native Hawaiian Organizations: Within 90 days, SBA must address concerns that Native Hawaiian Organizations are not treated as 8(a) eligible entities;
• FAST: SBA should consider prioritizing FAST awards to states that receive below the national median average of SBIRs/STTRs. Also, $1.5 million of the FAST funding shall be for Small Business and Technology Development Centers;
• Growth Accelerators: SBA shall prioritize funding for Growth Accelerators to applications from rural areas that have not previously received an award.
• HUBZones: SBA is encouraged to update its HUBZone guidance and to mitigate IT issues affecting certifications;
• Regional Innovation Clusters: SBA is urged to reevaluate eligibility criteria;
• SBDCs: SBA should assess the minimum funding levels to ensure adequate funding for each state; and
• WBCs: SBA should refine and share its quarterly dashboard of performance goals with all WBCs.

      (Note: Data are from the fiscal 2023 and 2022 bill texts and from a summary by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VT, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee).

More Information:
Bill text: https://bit.ly/3Z2TJGp
Leahy summary: https://bit.ly/3CgospO

Consolidated Appropriations Act boosts SBA funds in fiscal 2023

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