SBA Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP)
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Capacity + JV contract access
Researched for this program: 6 rejection traps · 6 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
Joint-venture into federal contracts
The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program lets an eligible small business (the protégé) partner with a more experienced company (the mentor) to build capacity and win federal contracts. Created in its current unified form on November 16, 2020 by merging the 8(a) and All Small mentor-protégé programs, it is governed by 13 CFR 125.9. The headline benefit is the ability to form an SBA-approved joint venture that can pursue any small-business set-aside the protégé qualifies for — including 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, and HUBZone set-asides — without the mentor's size causing affiliation. Mentors can also make equity investments and loans, subcontract to the protégé, and provide management, technical, financial, and contracting assistance. Agreements last up to six years (extendable), a protégé may have up to two mentors over its lifetime, and annual evaluations are required. There is no program fee; both parties must be registered in SAM.gov and apply through certifications.sba.gov.
- Funding type
- Program
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- Capacity + JV contract access
- Realistic amount
- No grant. The realized value is the contracts a protégé wins through its joint venture plus any capital or subcontract work the mentor provides — highly variable, from a single set-aside award to a multi-year contract pipeline.
- Deadline
- Rolling — apply once a mentor is identified
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- in-kind
Who qualifies
- Protégé must qualify as a small business with experience in its primary industry
- Protégé must be organized for profit or as an agricultural cooperative
- Protégé must identify a prospective mentor before applying and not be affiliated with that mentor at application
- A protégé may have up to two mentors over the life of the business (two simultaneously only if non-conflicting)
- Mentor must be organized for profit or as an agricultural cooperative, with capacity to assist
- Mentor must have good character and not be debarred or suspended from federal contracting
- Both parties must be active in SAM.gov with Unique Entity Identifiers
How to apply
-
1
Identify a mentor and execute an agreement
Find a willing, experienced mentor (often a prime contractor) and negotiate a written Mentor-Protégé Agreement detailing the assistance to be provided and its expected benefit to the protégé.
~20 hrs
-
2
Register in SAM.gov and complete SBA's tutorial
Both businesses must have active SAM.gov registrations and UEIs. The protégé completes SBA's required online mentor-protégé tutorial before applying.
~6 hrs
-
3
Apply through MySBA Certifications
Submit the application using the protégé's UEI, attaching the executed agreement and supporting documents. SBA screens (~15 days) then reviews (up to 90 days).
~8 hrs
-
4
Operate the relationship and form joint ventures
Once approved, the pair can form SBA-approved joint ventures to bid set-asides. Complete the mandatory annual evaluation documenting assistance received; request SBA intervention if promised help is not delivered.
~10 hrs
The program's real value is the affiliation exception, not the 'mentoring' — an SBA-approved joint venture lets you bid contracts far larger than your size would normally allow because the mentor's past performance and resources can be cited without your firm losing small-business status. Line up a specific target contract and a mentor who actually wants that work before you apply; agreements built around a concrete pipeline get used, generic ones gather dust.
Deadline & timing
Applications accepted year-round through certifications.sba.gov. Both mentor and protégé must be SAM.gov-registered and complete SBA's online tutorial first. Processing runs roughly 15 days of screening plus up to 90 days review (about 105 days total). Agreements last up to six years and require annual evaluations.
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