Popular Name: VET Program
Objectives: To design, develop, administer, and evaluate an entrepreneurial and procurement training and counseling program for U.S. veterans.
59.044 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility: A recipient may be considered eligible under one of the following requirements: (1) not for profit, volunteer organizations having the capabilities necessary to provide effective services. The grantee may subcontract with another entity having the technical qualifications for providing specialized instructional services. (2) Public or private, not for profit, volunteer organizations furnishing business counseling, management training and other related services with special emphasis on the development of management training programs of sufficient scope and duration to develop entrepreneurial and managerial self-sufficiency to small businesses located in areas of high concentration of unemployment or low-income individuals. (3) Small Business Development Center Program recipients. Additionally, the criteria for receiving a grant under the VET Program is tight. It involves experience in Instructional Systems Development (ISD), proof of a demonstrated program using ISD, verification of nonprofit status and the use of volunteers to conduct the program, access to an existing program in business development, and access to an existing program in working with veterans and transferring their experience into entrepreneurship goals.
Beneficiary Eligibility: Veterans starting and managing a business, and their dependents.
Credentials/Documentation: Evidence of falling into one of the eligibility categories as listed in the Applicant Eligibility section of this program. Established business training program. Experience in the application, synthesis and evaluation of instructional systems development techniques.
59.044 APPLICATION & AWARD PROCESS:
Preapplication Coordination: None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure: Applicants will submit unsolicited proposals with a properly completed "Application for Federal Assistance" (Standard Forms 424, 424A, and 424B). The procedures for submitting an unsolicited proposal may be obtained from Sally Murrell, Chief of Grants Branch, Small Business Administration, Office of Procurement and Grants Management, 409 Third Street, SW., Washington, DC 20416. Phone: (202) 205-6622. The applicant should include a sufficiently detailed technical and cost proposal. Applicants must be aware that funds for this program are limited.
Award Procedure: After submitting the unsolicited proposal, it will be reviewed for technical sufficiency. If your proposal is technically sufficient, a representative from the Office of Veterans Affairs will set up a meeting to: (1) Visit your facility to determine adequacy, (2) discuss your management perspective, and (3) evaluate your ISD approach. SBA/Office of Procurement and Grants Management (OPGM) will negotiate budget and cost issues, and award the grant/cooperative agreement. Based on favorable determination from the program office and OPGM, the award is made.
Deadlines: Applications/proposals should be submitted early in the fiscal year in which the program is to commence or late in the fiscal year for a program commencing the following fiscal year. Contact Headquarters Office listed below for more information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: Usually within 90 days after submission of final proposal.
Appeals: Not applicable.
Renewals: Not applicable.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals: Must provide in-depth, structured entrepreneurial training for start-up or expansion of small businesses. Must comply with all criteria in the Eligibility Requirements section of this program.
Examples of Funded Projects: A typical project funded was the Ohio Veteran's Entrepreneurial Training (OVET) project, an intensive, structured training program on how to start and manage a successful business, followed by unstructured counseling. The project is administered by the Consortium for Entrepreneurial Training, a nonprofit organization administered by volunteers from Stark Technical College of Canton, Ohio, and other community and technical colleges in the area.
Range & Average of Financial Assistance: $28,000 to $100,000; $75,600.
59.044 RELATED PROGRAMS:
59.044 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
No data available.
59.044 FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:
Federal Agency:
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Type of Assistance:
Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements).
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 95 $227,000; FY 96 $0; and FY 97 est
$432,000.
Budget Account Number:
73-0100-0-1-376.
Authorization:
Small Business Act of 1953, Sections 8(b)(1)(A) and
(B), as amended, Public Laws, 93-237 and 101-162, 15 U.S.C. 637(b) (1).
Regulations, Guidelines, & Literature:
Contact the Federal
agency for more information.
Regional or Local Office:
For addresses of the SBA field offices,
see Appendix IV of the Catalog under Small Business Administration.
Headquarters Office:
Director, Office of Veteran Affairs, Small
Business Administration, Sixth Floor, 409 Third Street, SW., Washington
DC 20416. Phone: (202) 205-6773. Use same number for FTS.
Contact: Leon Bechet.
59.044 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula & Matching Requirements:
Fifty percent matching in funds
and/or same services.
Length & Time Phasing of Assistance:
Usually not to exceed 12
months for the basic effort and four option years. Funds are made
available on a cost reimbursement basis.
Uses & Use Restrictions:
Funds shall be used to provide veterans
and their dependents assistance to start and manage their businesses.
The assistance may be in the form of intensive training, counseling, and
other specialized services.
59.044 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Quarterly performance and financial reports to the SBA
Central Office no later than 30 days following the end of the quarter. A
final report is due 90 days after the completion of the project year.
Audits:
When necessary, on a case-by-case basis.
Records:
The grantee shall maintain detailed, complete, and
accurate client activity records of a sufficiency to reflect clearly the
nature and variety of the services provided. Financial records must be
maintained until 3 years after the completion of the grant project or
submission of the final report, whichever is later.
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