# What This Bill Does

This bill extends a temporary break that women-owned business centers got during the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally, when these centers receive federal funding to help women start and grow businesses, they have to match that money with their own funds from other sources—basically putting in their own cash to get the government money. This bill pushes back the deadline for when that matching requirement kicks back in, giving these centers more breathing room.

# Who This Affects and Why It Matters

Women's business centers are nonprofit organizations across the country that provide free or low-cost training, mentoring, and resources to help women entrepreneurs launch and expand their companies. During the pandemic, the government temporarily waived the requirement that these centers find matching funds, recognizing they were dealing with financial strain like everyone else. This bill extends that waiver from June 30, 2021 to September 30, 2021—giving centers an extra three months before they have to start scrambling to find matching funds again.

For women entrepreneurs, this matters because it means the centers helping them stay better funded and able to offer services without interruption. For the centers themselves, it's a lifeline that prevents them from having to cut programs or staff while they work on finding other funding sources. It's essentially saying, "You don't have to find matching money quite yet—we're giving you a few more months to figure out your finances."

To amend the CARES Act to extend the waiver of matching funds requirement under the women's business center program.

Newman, Marie

 <p>This bill waives through September 30, 2021, the requirement that any recipient of assistance under the Women's Business Center program obtain matching funds from nonfederal sources. Currently, this waiver expires on June 30, 2021.</p> <p>The Women's Business Center program authorizes the Small Business Administration to provide assistance to private, nonprofit organizations to carry out projects for the benefit of small businesses that are owned and controlled by women.</p>