The National Veterans Business Development Corporation, doing business as The Veterans
Corporation, is a Federally-chartered 501(c)(3) organization that was created by Public Law 106-50,
the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999. This Act recognized that
America “has done too little to assist Veterans…in playing a greater role in the economy of the
United States". The Corporation is charged with creating and enhancing entrepreneurial business
opportunities for Veterans, including Service-Disabled Veterans. Toward this mission, TVC provides
Veterans with the tools and resources they need to be successful in business, including:
The primary federal agency providing financial and business development assistance to small
firms and aspiring entrepreneurs is the U.S. Small Business Administration, an independent agency
chartered in 1953. SBA encourages participation by qualified veterans in all of its various
financial and business development programs. A variety of special outreach programs for
veterans are coordinated by SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD), established for
this and other purposes pursuant to Public Law 106-50. OVDB supports Veteran Business Outreach
Centers and it further leverages its resources and extends its outreach efforts throughout the
Nation by the use of designated Veteran Business Development Officers in each of SBA’s 70 district
offices. SBA provides financial assistance, business development counseling, procurement
assistance and other support to Veteran entrepreneurs.
Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE)
The Department of Veterans Affairs established the Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) in
2001. CVE is dedicated to helping Veterans succeed in business and specializes in assisting
with procurement opportunities. To help coordinate prime and subcontracting business
opportunities with Veterans for Government and private-sector buyers, CVE maintains an electronic
business registry. All veteran entrepreneurs, including reservists and members of the National
Guard who have been called to active duty of any duration, are encouraged to register their firms
and capabilities in this database which is called the VETBiz Vendor Information Pages (VIP). In
addition to procurement assistance, CVE provides business coaching, networking, outreach, and other
business assistance to Veterans.
Contact CVE toll free at 866-584-2344 or on the web at
www.vetbiz.gov.
SCORE
Score is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington D.C. that provides a
public service to America by offering small business advice and training. Score was formed in
1964 to help small businesses flourish, and Score now has more than 10,000 volunteers who can
assist business owners with more than 600 business skills. Volunteers are working or retired
business owners, executives, and corporate leaders who share their wisdom and lessons learned in
business. As a result, SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” is America’s premier
source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs. To date, SCORE has
helped more than 7.5 million small businesses through face-to-face small business counseling,
low-cost workshops nationwide, and online support and business guidance.
Contact SCORE toll free at 800-634-0245 or on the web at
www.score.org.
Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC)
The mission of the Association of Small Business Development Centers is to represent the
collective interest of our members by promoting, informing, supporting and continuously improving
the SBDC network, which delivers nationwide educational assistance to strengthen small/medium
business management, thereby contributing to the growth of local, state and national
economies.
The Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) is a partnership program uniting
private enterprise, government, higher education and local nonprofit economic development
organizations. ASBDC is dedicated to the sound development of small business throughout America.
Founded in 1979, the ASBDC provides a vehicle for continuous improvement of the Small Business
Development Center program, exchange of information among members regarding objectives, methods and
results in business management and technical assistance and advocacy of America's small business
community. Over 500,000 businesses are assisted by ASBDC member programs on an annual basis. A
sizeable number of them are in the dynamic start-up mode, while most are existing businesses
searching for stability of planning for growth. The mission of ASBDC is to continuously
improve the SBDC network, which delivers nationwide educational assistance to strengthen
small/medium business management, thereby contributing to the growth of local, state and national
economies.
International Franchise Association (IFA)
The International Franchise Association, founded in 1960, is a membership organization of
franchisors, franchisees and suppliers. IFA’s website is dedicated to providing members and guests
with a one-stop shopping experience for franchise information. For more than 40 years, the
International Franchise Association has protected, enhanced, and promoted franchising worldwide.
IFA is the official “Spokesperson for Responsible Franchising.” Franchisors join for the
legislative, educational and networking benefits available as an IFA member. IFA’s government and
public relations programs are designed to educate and influence public policy makers, and to reduce
or eliminate regulations that threaten responsible franchise development. IFA provides information
necessary to stay abreast of the changes facing the global franchise community through our
educational programs, annual convention, legal symposium, and regional and local meetings. For
Veterans, IFA’s Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative program is comprised of more than 100
franchise companies that offer Veterans financial incentives to buy and operate their
franchises.
