About CAWBC
The Central Alabama Women's Business Center, a project of the Schlarb Foundation for Women Entrepreneurs, which was established in 1999 to help socially and economically disadvantaged women business owners build and grow their business, is funded in part by the Small Business Administration. We serve a seven county area including: Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, Walker, Talladega and Tuscaloosa Counties.
Through the foundation, the Business Center provides the following to women entrepreneurs:
- An educational scholarship; counseling and learning opportunities that build skills necessary to be successful business owners.
- Assistance in finding loans for those who are unable to obtain funding from traditional sources for their business growth needs.
- Programs about topics of interest to women business owners either going out on their own, starting a business or growing an existing business.
Mentoring from sucessful and established women business owners to new or start-up businesses.
Our doors opened in July 2001 and over time, CAWBC has remained committed to helping women-owned businesses thrive. Gross receipts of firms assisted totaled over $138,445,349. Of the firms assisted, 469 new paid employees were added.