SBA awards Syracuse University $1 million to expand entrepreneurship training for service members stationed overseas

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University’s Institute for Veteran & Military Families (IVMF) will use a $1 million grant for entrepreneurship training to military service members and their spouses, both “within and stationed outside of the continental U.S. and overseas.”

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)’s Office of Veterans Business Development awarded the funding, per its Wednesday announcement.

This grant will enable IVMF to deliver “Boots to Business” to military families overseas. “Boots to Business” is the entrepreneurship track of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program and follow-on training, SBA said.

“Syracuse University has long been a top institution for veterans and veteran entrepreneurs, and IVMF has displayed an unparalleled commitment and capability to train transitioning service members and their spouses for entrepreneurship,” Bernard J. Paprocki, director of the SBA Upstate New York district, said in a statement. “Boots to Business not only supports participants’ growth, equipping them to successfully launch a business, but it also helps service members and families leverage their exceptional talents to grow the local economy upon returning home.”   

The Boots to Business course provides an overview of entrepreneurship and applicable business-ownership fundamentals, the same curriculum offered within the U.S. The course is for active-duty service members (including National Guard and Reserve members), veterans, and spouses.

The award is for an initial 12-month project period plus four option years, subject to the availability of funds, per the SBA.

About Boots to Business

SBA’s Boots to Business program has served more than 156,000 transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses since its launch on Jan. 1, 2013, per the SBA.

The program is a collaborative effort between SBA district offices, SBA resource partners (Veterans Business Outreach Centers, Association of Women’s Business Centers, SCORE, and Small Business Development Centers), SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development, and grant (cooperative agreement) partners, the agency added.