The U.S. Small Business Administration as we speak introduced $3 million in new funding underneath its Cybersecurity for Small Businesses Pilot Program.
Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman mentioned three grants can be awarded to state authorities businesses to supply coaching, counseling and different personalized cybersecurity providers to startups and rising entrepreneurs.
“Small companies account for 99.9 p.c of America’s companies and make use of almost half of the civilian workforce, and cyber threats to small companies are a menace to our total financial system,” Guzman mentioned in an announcement.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is dedicated to strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity and offering small companies with the instruments they should strengthen their cyber well being and stop pricey assaults that disrupt their companies,” she mentioned. “Through this new funding, the SBA will present funding to ecosystem companions to supply extra cyber coaching and counseling, strengthening small companies’ potential to compete in an more and more digital financial system.”
Applications can be accepted from July 2 to August 2, and candidates can apply for awards starting from $1 million to $1.045 million over a 24-month efficiency interval ending in September 2026.
According to the SBA, eligible candidates embody state and territorial authorities businesses that wish to present coaching, counseling and different personalized cybersecurity providers to startups and rising entrepreneurs.
Guzman mentioned aggressive funding alternatives for state governments will assist efforts to coach rising small and medium-sized companies, these most weak to cyber threats, and develop robust cybersecurity measures.
SBA’s Small Business Cybersecurity Pilot Program has awarded almost $9 million in funding since 2022. Proposals to use for this funding alternative, quantity SB-OEDCS-24-001, should be posted on Grants.gov underneath “Small Business Cybersecurity Pilot” by August 2 at 11:59 pm EDT.
In addition to the grant program, the SBA is working with useful resource companions to supply different cybersecurity assets, together with in-person and on-line coaching, to small companies. To discover these SBA native assets, go to www.sba.gov/local-assistance . To be taught extra about SBA packages and providers associated to cybersecurity, go to www.sba.gov/cybersecurity and https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber .