Mississippi District Office 

Ascent Rural Pilot Recruitment

Exciting Announcement from the SBA Office of Rural Affairs: 

The SBA Office of Rural Affairs has created a pilot program using the Ascent online learning platform. The pilot is targeted at women-owned, rural small businesses who are located throughout the U.S. 

The Ascent Pilot is the first of its kind NO COST program that will be a combination of online, self-guided learning using the Ascent platform and group virtual sessions using the Teams platform. Ascent’s group virtual sessions will provide a forum where program participants will meet with other women who have been selected for the Ascent cohort with representation from across the nation. During the Ascent Pilot Program, the virtual sessions will be presented in an interactive workshop format where subject matter experts in business, finance and contracting will discuss the Ascent modules, as well as share information that small business owners need to know to start, grow and succeed.

Goals of Ascent Pilot Program:

• Define and address the needs of women-owned SB in rural America
• Develop a national network of women-owned SB for peer-to-peer support
• Provide a NO-COST, self-guided curriculum augmented with local support
• Expose rural women-owned small businesses to the various resources available to help them start, grow and succeed
• Explore business topics that are relevant to the entrepreneurial journey beyond what is available within the Ascent curriculum
• Create an environment of learning and inspiration centered around rural economic growth
• EMPOWER women-owned small businesses to become fierce leaders within their rural communities

Program requirements:

1. Women-Owned Small Business Located in a rural area Eligibility (usda.gov)
2. In business between 1 and 5 years
3. Average revenue from last 5 years less than $50,000 per year 
4. Willingness to commit to staying in the program for the entire duration and to meeting at least 5 of the 6 times for virtual sessions (8/17-11/9/22). Virtual sessions will be held on Wednesdays – 8/17, 8/24, 9/7, 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/9 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm ET (1:00 to 4:00 pm CT).
5. Type of Business (NAICS – North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) U.S. Census Bureau)

Hurry registration ends on July 22, 2022

Click Here to Register

To learn more join us on our upcoming virtual information sessions being held daily July 18-22, 2022 at 3:30 pm EST. To register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/377360684967

For questions, please contact the SBA Office of Field Operations, Rural Affairs at Rural@SBA.gov