Mentor-Protege Program

The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 provided authority for the SBA to establish a mentor-protege program for all small businesses. Rather than creating separate programs for each constituency, the SBA chose to create a single, all-inclusive mentor-protege program modeled on the successful mentor-protege program available to participants in its 8(a) program.

The purpose of the new program is to develop strong protege firms through mentor-provided business development assistance, and to help proteges successfully compete for government contracts. Mentor-provided assistance can be sought for any, or all of the following activities:

• Management and Technical Assistance
• Financial Assistance
• Contracting Assistance
• Trade Education
• Business Development Assistance
• General and/or Administrative Assistance