Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act | PRIME 2019 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for PRIME 2019 01

The Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act (PRIME) grant opportunity, Funding Opportunity No. PRIME-2019-01, is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to strengthen microenterprise support systems and expand assistance to disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Rooted in the PRIME Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-102; 15 U.S.C. 6901 note), the program is designed to channel federal resources to qualified organizations that deliver hands-on business training, technical assistance, and organizational capacity building aimed at helping very small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs who face economic or geographic barriers.

The PRIME Act authorizes SBA funding in several broad areas: delivering training and technical assistance to disadvantaged entrepreneurs; providing training and capacity-building support to microenterprise development organizations (MDOs) and microenterprise development programs; supporting research and the development of best practices for microenterprise and technical assistance models; and other related activities that the SBA Administrator determines appropriate. In practice, this means SBA is looking for projects that either directly serve entrepreneurs with concrete business support or strengthen the organizations that provide those services so they can serve more people, improve quality, and operate more sustainably.

For FY2019, SBA structured this opportunity into two distinct tracks. Track 1, labeled Technical Assistance, focuses on direct services for disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Applicants under this track propose programs that teach practical business skills and provide targeted technical support. The notice highlights examples such as initiatives tailored to economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs in rural areas and programs that promote entrepreneurship in HUBZone communities. The intent is to fund projects that can meet entrepreneurs where they are, address real barriers to starting or growing a microbusiness, and deliver outcomes that are relevant to local conditions.

Track 2, labeled Capacity Building, targets the service providers rather than the entrepreneurs themselves. Under this track, funding supports training and capacity-building services for MDOs, microenterprise development programs, and groups or networks of such organizations. The core idea is to help these organizations improve their ability to deliver microenterprise training and technical assistance. Examples again emphasize rural and HUBZone-focused work, but the emphasis is on strengthening institutional capability, such as improving program design, staff skills, service delivery systems, partnerships, and other infrastructure needed to provide effective, scalable support to disadvantaged entrepreneurs.

Eligibility is limited and tied to the definitions and requirements in the Funding Opportunity announcement, with full criteria referenced in Section 3.0. The key restriction spelled out in the notice is that for-profit organizations and individual persons are not eligible to apply. The opportunity is therefore aimed at qualified nonprofit, quasi-governmental, or other mission-driven entities that fit SBA's eligibility requirements for PRIME and that can demonstrate the organizational readiness to carry out the proposed work.

Applications are evaluated based on alignment with the purposes of the PRIME Act and on how well the proposed project demonstrates mission-oriented, culturally competent services that reflect the demographics of the local communities being served. In other words, SBA is not just looking for generic business classes; it is looking for programs that are intentionally designed for the target population and that show an understanding of local needs, language, culture, and barriers to participation. The specific scoring and evaluation factors are detailed in Section 5.0 of the Funding Opportunity, but the summary makes clear that responsiveness to disadvantaged communities and the quality and relevance of the approach are central considerations.

Administratively, this is a grant (not a loan or contract) within the Business and Commerce activity category, listed under CFDA 59.050. The opportunity was posted with a creation date of May 10, 2019, and an original closing date of June 10, 2019. SBA anticipated making about 30 awards, with an award ceiling of $250,000 per award. Questions were directed to SBA's Office of Economic Opportunity via email at prime@sba.gov, which indicates that program-specific clarification and guidance were available through that office during the application period.

• The Small Business Administration in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 59.050.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 10, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 10, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for PRIME 2019 01

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