Access to Capital and Opportunity
FOCUS AREA 1: Dollars That Go the Distance —
Equitable Access to
Diverse Sources of Business Financing
- Recommendation 1: Expand capital pathways
for more Black, Indigenous, and
people of color (BIPOC) women business owners and increase
support for
community-based incubators, accelerators, and resource partners.
- Recommendation 2: Protect women entrepreneurs
from predatory lenders
and raise awareness about unfair financing terms
FOCUS AREA 2: When One Door Opens —
Increasing Federal
Contracting Opportunities and Awards for Women-Owned Small
Businesses (WOSBs)
- Recommendation 1: Adequately resource
and empower SBA’s WOSB Certification
Program and the Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business
Utilization (OSDBUs)
offices across the federal government to meet and exceed
WOSB program goals.
- Recommendation 2: Identify and highlight
winning agencies, successful
OSDBUs, and best practices.
Women in STEM
FOCUS AREA 1: The Future is Female —
Women Entrepreneurs and
High Growth Industries
- Recommendation 1: Ensure equitable
advancement through women’s science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
entrepreneurial education,
investment, and outreach.
- Recommendation 2: Foster equitable
opportunity for women entrepreneurs
to lead 21st century industries by leveraging ongoing
community
development investments.
FOCUS AREA 2: (Best) Practice(s)
Makes Perfect — Apprenticeships,
Grants, and the STEM Pipeline
- Recommendation 1: Bolster
workforce (re)entry and development efforts to
get
and keep more women in the STEM entrepreneurial
pipeline.
- Recommendation 2: Improve the
incubator and accelerator system to help
women advance more successfully through the STEM
entrepreneurial pipeline
FOCUS AREA 3: A Bright Idea –
Promoting and Protecting Women’s
STEM Innovation
- Recommendation 1: Maintain a
viable pathway to commercialization for
women innovators.
- Recommendation 2: Connect women
innovators with the resources and
information needed to claim ownership of and
develop upon their innovations.
Inclusive Entrepreneurial
Ecosystems
FOCUS AREA 1: Bridging
Service Gaps in
Underserved Communities — Improving Paid
Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Options,
Addressing a Lack of Reliable Care Economy
Services, and Connecting to High-Speed,
Affordable Broadband
- Recommendation 1:
Champion state PFML efforts and
a bipartisan national solution.
- Recommendation 2: Ensure
accessible, reliable, and
affordable child- and long-term-care
services for women
entrepreneurs in rural and underserved
communities.
- Recommendation 3: Bridge the
women-owned small
business digital divide by improving
broadband
access, speed, and affordability for more
underserved
women entrepreneurs.
FOCUS AREA 2:
Positioning More WOSBs to
Compete — Improving Women Entrepreneurs’
Financial Acumen, Access to Back Office
Support, and Access to a Skilled
Workforce
- Recommendation 1:
Connect women entrepreneurs to
accessible wrap-around services,
back-office resources,
and affordable professional support.
- Recommendation 2:
Provide dedicated support for
women-owned small businesses and
ecosystem
builders offering onsite assistance to
diverse
women entrepreneurs.
FOCUS AREA 3:
Strengthening Federal
Coordination Efforts at the Ground
Level —
Connecting Tailored Federal
Resources to
Local Governance Entities and
Trusted
Community Partners
- Recommendation
1: Reestablish and authorize the
Interagency Committee on Women’s
Business Enterprise.
- Recommendation 2:
Enhance coordination of local,
state, and federal entrepreneurial
development and
funding resources.
