SBA Awards $3 Million in Cybersecurity Pilot Program Grants

WASHINGTON - Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of theU.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden's Cabinet for America's more than 34 million small businesses, announced three new Cybersecurity Pilot Program Grant recipients will receive a total of $3 million in funding through the SBA's Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program. The new grantees for fiscal years 2024 through 2026 are Dakota State University, Eastern Washington University, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. These state entities will assist small businesses in advancing their cybersecurity infrastructure and mitigating cyber threats.

"The Biden-Harris Administration understands that cybersecurity is essential to our small businesses' success and the strength of our nation's economy. With the growing threat of cyberattacks, businesses need greater resources, services, and tools to protect themselves and their customers," said Administrator Guzman. "The Cybersecurity Pilot Program Grant is an important preventative measure that enables states to help their small businesses get cyber ready and fortify our nation's digital economy."

"As the cyber landscape changes daily with attacks across the globe, small business owners require an awareness that cyber threats are real and they need to know what to do if a cyber-attack happens," said Aditi Dussault, Acting Associate Administrator for SBA's Office of Entrepreneurial Development. "Cyber threats can be devastating to small businesses because of the disruption to operations and cost of mitigation. Cybersecurity education and training contributes to small businesses' ability to identify, mitigate, and avert attacks on their IT systems."

This is SBA's thirdcohort of cybersecurity pilot grantees charged with helping America's small businesses avoid dangerous cyberattacks that can create costly disruptions to their businesses and our nation's supply chains and digital infrastructure. The SBA's Cybersecurity for Small Business Program leverages the full power of our state governments, territories, and institutions of higher learning to provide timely solutions to small businesses.

About the SBA's Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program

Cyberattacks are a growing threat to small businesses and the U.S. economy. According to theFBI's Internet Crime Report, the cost of cybercrimes against the small business community reached $2.4 billion in 2021. Small businesses are attractive targets because they have information that cybercriminals want, and typically lack the security infrastructure of larger businesses.

According to an SBA survey, 88% of small business owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack. Yet many businesses can't afford professional IT solutions, have limited time to devote to cybersecurity, or don't know where to begin. This program offers the resources for grant recipients to better assist small businesses on matters of cybersecurity.

The federal budget for the SBA's Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program for 2024-2026 is $3 million. The period of performance for this award is two years beginning September 2024.

The SBA will hold its Third Annual Cybersecurity Summit Oct. 16 and 23. It will feature public and private sector cyber nerds who will provide practical information to help protect small business owners from cyberattacks. The public may register for this free event here: https://bit.ly/SBACyberSummit2024.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

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