Last reviewed on May 12, 2026.
What the program does
The Small Business Administration's All Small Mentor-Protégé Program lets an established business (the mentor) provide developmental support to a small business (the protégé) under an SBA-approved agreement. The pair can then form a joint venture and pursue contracts that would normally be reserved for small businesses alone, including set-asides under any small business socioeconomic category for which the protégé qualifies.
The program replaced separate mentor-protégé tracks the SBA previously ran for 8(a) firms only. The current iteration is open to any small business — 8(a), WOSB, HUBZone, SDVOSB, or simply small for size purposes.
Program benefits
For protégés
- Technical assistance and capability transfer
- Business development guidance
- Joint venture opportunities on larger contracts
- Past performance credit from JV work
For mentors
- Subcontracting credit on certain plans
- Joint venture eligibility on small-business set-asides
- Access to set-aside markets through the JV
- Long-term supplier and partner relationships
Joint ventures under the program
- JV competes as a small business when the protégé is small
- Up to three contracts under the JV within two years
- Combined capabilities and past performance
- Protégé must perform at least 40% of the JV's work
Eligibility
Protégé
- Qualifies as small under the SBA size standard for its primary NAICS code
- Has a documented developmental need the mentor can address
- Has no more than two mentor-protégé agreements during its lifetime
- Generally has no more than one active mentor at a time
Mentor
- Is capable of providing developmental assistance
- Demonstrates good character and federal regulatory compliance
- Has no more than three protégés at one time
- Is not debarred, suspended, or otherwise ineligible
What the mentor-protégé agreement should cover
- The protégé's developmental needs and the assistance the mentor will provide (management, technical, financial, business development, or contract administration)
- Specific milestones and metrics the protégé will use to measure progress
- Term of the agreement (initial term up to three years, extendable to six)
- Termination provisions, including conditions under which either party may exit
- How the SBA's required annual reporting will be produced
The SBA reviews each agreement before approval. Common rejection reasons include vague developmental plans and overly broad mentor authority that would compromise the protégé's independence.
Common pitfalls
- Treating the JV as a vehicle for the mentor to do the work while the protégé exists mainly on paper — SBA enforces the 40% protégé work share strictly.
- Failing to keep the JV agreement, accounting, and bank accounts separate from either parent firm.
- Operating without a documented developmental plan, which makes annual reporting weak and can lead to termination.
- Not updating the agreement when the protégé's NAICS scope or capabilities change.