For many years the Council has advocated SBA guidelines to increase the participation of low-income rural communities within the HUBZone Program, in 2021 SBA made a significant ruling to benefit those rural communities.
GIFT. The Gift that keeps giving was launched on the 18th day of May 2021, SBA’s Governor-Designated Covered HUBZones expanded benefits for communities outside urban areas.
On this day, SBA’s Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced the expansion of HUBZone designated areas in the state of Illinois. Under the new HUBZone rule Illinois became the first state approved to have the newly created Governor-Designated Covered HUBZones. SBA extending HUBZone privileges in Illinois to five additional counties (30 additional census tracts comprised of a population of about 236,500).
IMPACT. The Governor-Designated Covered HUBZones expansion is based on requests from governors all across the nation to expand covered areas in their state to support economic growth in zones located outside of an urbanized area.
The HUBZone program provides small businesses in low-income communities that hire low-income residents greater opportunities to compete in the federal marketplace.
VALUE. Council members are being encouraged all over the nation to work with their Congressional and Senate leadership to expand HUBZone areas within their states. Many rural areas that were once considered ineligible with the influence of their governors’ office can be deemed eligible.