FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Krista Buckel
Krista.Buckel@cvky.org
859-231-0054 x1034
1450 North Broadway
Lexington, KY 40505
LEXINGTON, KY. (October 19, 2023) – Nonprofit Community Ventures (CV) today announced that the Women’s Business Center of Kentucky (WBC) received funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for the 13th consecutive year. The award will further the WBC’s mission to help underserved Kentucky entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. WBC is Kentucky’s only SBA-designated Women’s Business Center, providing entrepreneurs with technical assistance, mentoring, and networking opportunities.
“We are grateful for the SBA’s continued support; it enables us to fulfill our mission of bringing dreams to life for women entrepreneurs across the state,” said WBC of Kentucky Executive Director Devanny King. “We are building a more equitable, empowered, and thriving entrepreneurial landscape for women and underrepresented communities across the Bluegrass.”
According to a 2022 SBA report, women owned nearly 41 percent of businesses in Kentucky, and the WBC is working to ensure these businesses thrive.
The SBA funding will support the WBC’s no-cost counseling services, technical assistance, and workshops that assist entrepreneurs in starting and expanding their businesses, like WBC’s Business Builder, Strong Women Strong Coffee, and Lunch and Learn programs.
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About Women’s Business Center of Kentucky: Founded in 2011, the Women’s Business Center of Kentucky helps women entrepreneurs, especially those economically or socially disadvantaged, start and grow businesses in Kentucky. The WBC is partly funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and hosted by Community Ventures Corporation, a private, non-profit community development organization.
About Community Ventures: Founded in 1982 as a community-based, non-profit organization, Community Ventures (CV) strengthens communities and improves the overall quality of life for Kentuckians by supporting job creation, small business ownership, and home ownership. CV is headquartered in Lexington with branch locations in Bowling Green, Campbellsville, Louisville, Mayfield, Millersburg, and Owensboro. For 21 consecutive years, CV has been named Microlender of the Year by the Kentucky Small Business Administration.