‘(1) IN GENERAL- The Administrator shall establish a Veterans Business Center program within the Administration to provide entrepreneurial training and counseling to veterans in accordance with this subsection.
‘(2) DIRECTOR- The Administrator shall appoint a Director of the Veterans Business Center program, who shall implement and oversee such program and who shall report directly to the Associate Administrator for Veterans Business Development.
‘(3) DESIGNATION OF VETERANS BUSINESS CENTERS- The Director shall establish by regulation an application, review, and notification process to designate entities as veterans business centers for purposes of this section. The Director shall make publicly known the designation of an entity as a veterans business center and the award of a grant to such center under this subsection.
‘(4) FUNDING FOR VETERANS BUSINESS CENTERS-
‘(A) INITIAL GRANTS- The Director is authorized to make a grant (hereinafter in this subsection referred to as an ‘initial grant’) to each veterans business center each year for not more than 5 years in the amount of $150,000.
‘(B) GROWTH FUNDING GRANTS- After a veterans business center has received 5 years of initial grants under subparagraph (A), the Director is authorized to make a grant (hereinafter in this subsection referred to as a ‘growth funding grant’) to such center each year for not more than 3 years in the amount of $100,000. After such center has received 3 years of growth funding grants, the Director shall require such center to meet performance benchmarks established by the Director to be eligible for growth funding grants in subsequent years.
‘(5) CENTER RESPONSIBILITIES- Each veterans business center receiving a grant under this subsection shall use the funds primarily on veteran entrepreneurial development, counseling of veteran-owned small businesses through one-on-one instruction and classes, and providing government procurement assistance to veterans.
‘(6) MATCHING FUNDS- Each veterans business center receiving a grant under this subsection shall be required to provide a non-Federal match of 50 percent of the Federal funds such center receives under this subsection. The Director may issue to a veterans business center, upon request, a waiver from all or a portion of such matching requirement upon a determination of hardship.
‘(7) TARGETED AREAS- The Director shall give priority to applications for designations and grants under this subsection that will establish a veterans business center in a geographic area, as determined by the Director, that is not currently served by a veterans business center and in which--
‘(A) the population of veterans exceeds the national median of such measure; or
‘(B) the population of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom exceeds the national median of such measure.
‘(8) TRAINING PROGRAM- The Director shall develop and implement, directly or by contract, an annual training program for the staff and personnel of designated veterans business centers to provide education, support, and information on best practices with respect to the establishment and operation of such centers. The Director shall develop such training program in consultation with veterans business centers, the interagency task force established under subsection (c), and veterans service organizations.
‘(9) INCLUSION OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN PROGRAM- Upon the date of the enactment of this subsection, each Veterans Business Outreach Center established by the Administrator under the authority of section 8(b)(17) and each center that received funds during fiscal year 2006 from the National Veterans Business Development Corporation established under section 33 and that remains in operation shall be treated as designated as a veterans business center for purposes of this subsection and shall be eligible for grants under this subsection.
‘(10) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
‘(1) ACCESS TO CAPITAL GRANT PROGRAM-
‘(A) IN GENERAL- The Director of the Veterans Business Center program shall establish a grant program under which the Director is authorized to make, to veterans business centers designated under subsection (g), grants for the following:
‘(i) Developing specialized programs to assist veteran-owned small businesses to secure capital and repair damaged credit.
‘(ii) Providing informational seminars on securing loans to veteran-owned small businesses.
‘(iii) Providing one-on-one counseling to veteran-owned small businesses to improve the financial presentations of such businesses to lenders.
‘(iv) Facilitating the access of veteran-owned small businesses to both traditional and non-traditional financing sources.
‘(B) AWARD SIZE- The Director may not award a veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants under this paragraph.
‘(C) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
‘(2) PROCUREMENT ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM-
‘(A) IN GENERAL- The Director shall establish a grant program under which the Director is authorized to make, to veterans business centers designated under subsection (g), grants for the following:
‘(i) Assisting veteran-owned small businesses to identify contracts that are suitable to such businesses.
‘(ii) Preparing veteran-owned small businesses to be ready as subcontractors and prime contractors for contracts made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) through training and business advisement, particularly with respect to the construction trades.
‘(iii) Providing veteran-owned small businesses technical assistance with respect to the Federal procurement process, including assisting such businesses to comply with Federal regulations and bonding requirements.
‘(B) AWARD SIZE- The Director may not award a veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants under this paragraph.
‘(C) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
‘(3) SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM-
‘(A) IN GENERAL- The Director shall establish a grant program under which the Director is authorized to make, to veterans business centers designated under subsection (g), grants for the following:
‘(i) Developing outreach programs for service-disabled veterans with respect to the benefits of self-employment.
‘(ii) Providing tailored training to service-disabled veterans with respect to business plan development, marketing, budgeting, accounting, and merchandising.
‘(iii) Assisting service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses to locate and secure business opportunities.
‘(B) AWARD SIZE- The Director may not award a veterans business center more than $75,000 in grants under this paragraph.
‘(C) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
‘(1) IN GENERAL- The Director of the Veterans Business Center program is authorized to carry out an event, once every two years, for the purpose of providing networking opportunities, outreach, education, training, and support to veterans business centers funded under this section, veteran-owned small businesses, veterans service organizations, and other entities as determined appropriate for inclusion by the Director.
‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $450,000 for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.’.