SBA Mentor-Protégé program

 

SBA Mentor-Protégé program
Program benefits

• Guidance on internal business management systems, accounting, marketing, manufacturing, and strategic planning

• Financial assistance in the form of equity investments, loans, and bonding

• Assistance navigating federal contract bidding, acquisition, and the federal procurement process

• Education about international trade, strategic planning, and finding markets

• Business development, including strategy and identifying contracting and partnership opportunities

• General and administrative assistance, like human resource sharing or security clearance support

Program qualifications

• Be a small business with industry experience. You can find out if your business qualifies as small by using the Size Standards Tool, or by referencing SBA's table of small business size standards. Both the tool and the table help you find the small business classification requirements according to individual NAICS codes.

• Be organized for profit or as an agricultural cooperative

• Have a proposed mentor prior to applying for the program

• Be organized for profit or as an agricultural cooperative

• Be able to carry out its responsibilities to assist the protégé

• Possess good character

• Not appear on the federal list of debarred or suspended contractors

• Be able to impart value to a protégé firm due to lessons learned and practical experience gained or through its knowledge of general business operations and government contracting.

• SBA must determine that the mentor-provided assistance will promote real developmental gains for the protégé, not just act as a vehicle to receive federal small business set-asides

• An applicant protégé and its prospective mentor may not be affiliated at the time of application

Apply to the program

• Make sure both businesses are registered at SAM.gov

• Decide whether you are applying for an MPA using your primary or secondary NAICS Code

• Both businesses must complete SBA’s online tutorial (save your completion certificates)

• Execute a Mentor-Protégé Agreement (MPA Addendum)

If you have questions about annual evaluations, contact mppevaluations@sba.gov.