certify.sba.gov

Protégés can gain business development help from their mentors in areas such as:

• Internal business management systems, accounting, marketing, manufacturing, and strategic planning
• Business development
• Financial assistance (i.e., equity investments, loans, and bonding)
• Procurement assistance
• General and administrative assistance
• Strategic planning, marketing, and international trade

To qualify as a protégé, your business must:

• Be small with industry experience. You can learn if you business qualifies as small by visiting the SBA Size Standards tool
• Be for-profit or a small agricultural cooperative
• Have a proposed mentor prior to applying for the program

To qualify as a mentor, your business must:

• Be for-profit or a small agricultural cooperative
• Be able to carry out its responsibilities to assist the protégé
• Possess good character
• Not appear on the federal list of suspended or debarred contractors
• Be willing and able to impart business knowledge and guidance to the protege

Before you apply:

• Make sure both businesses are registered at SAM.gov
• Decide whether you are applying for an Mentor-Protégé Agreement (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

Prepare the follow documents:

• Completed Mentor-Protégé Agreement signed by both the protégé and mentor
• Protege's MPP training module certificate of completion
• Mentor's MPP training module certificate of completion
• Copies of active SBA and other-agency Mentor-Protege Agreements (if applicable)
• Copy of any SBA size redetermination letter (if applicable)
• Proof of experience when applying using a secondary NAICS Code. Examples of proof include copies of contracts and paid invoices.