U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) announced plans to deploy $300 million of State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Technical Assistance funding to support small businesses across the country. Of these funds, $200 million will be provided to states, the District of Columbia, territories, and Tribal governments that are participating in the SSBCI capital program, to provide technical assistance to qualifying underserved entrepreneurs and very small businesses with fewer than ten employees. Another $100 million of the funds will be transferred by Treasury to the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) at the Department of Commerce, which will focus its technical assistance on helping underserved entrepreneurs seeking direct capital investment, such as venture capital financing.

“Underserved entrepreneurs and very small business owners face multiple barriers to pursuing their ideas, including limited access to capital and the lack of a network of technical support. That is why the SSBCI program was specifically designed to provide technical assistance funding to these entrepreneurs to help their businesses grow and thrive as part of the American Rescue Plan Act,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “This historic investment in underserved communities will help mitigate some of the barriers that prevent underserved small businesses or very small business owners from getting their ideas off the ground, building successful businesses, and creating jobs.”

Through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), the SSBCI program will provide $10 billion to states, the District of Columbia, territories, and Tribal governments for small business programs, including $500 million for technical assistance programs. Of the $500 million provided in the ARP for technical assistance programs, the announcement today addresses plans for the first $300 million.

Technical assistance funding will support a range of assistance—legal, accounting, and financial services to certain businesses applying to the SSBCI program or other government programs that support small businesses. These funds will help businesses grow and thrive while strengthening networks of technical assistance providers across the country that have experience in providing high-quality technical assistance to small businesses in underserved communities.

Treasury also released the Technical Assistance Grant Program Guidelines for the $200 million in technical assistance funds for states, the District of Columbia, territories, and Tribal governments. The allocations are weighted based on prior allocations that were released as part of the SSBCI capital program, which are linked to populations living in high-poverty areas and unemployment statistics in each jurisdiction. The Guidelines are designed to ensure that high-quality technical assistance funding effectively reaches both underserved businesses and very small businesses. These guidelines enable technical assistance to be used for qualifying small businesses in a range of industries, including small manufacturing enterprises, clean energy businesses, and other small businesses seeking SSBCI funding or funding from another governmental small business program.

Treasury and Commerce are also jointly announcing a historic transfer of $100 million to the MBDA, which has a mission to promote the growth and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses.

“Underserved entrepreneurs have traditionally lacked access to capital and often experience even greater disparities in access to venture capital financing. This significant funding being transferred to the MBDA will help ensure that more underserved businesses have the tools they need to succeed at home and abroad,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. “Moreover, MBDA, which focuses on the long-term health and success of minority-owned businesses, is uniquely situated to provide technical assistance and help these businesses be successful in applying to SSBCI capital programs and other State or Federal Programs that support small businesses. With this transfer, the Biden-Harris Administration reaffirms its commitment to supporting underserved businesses, especially when it comes to building a better America.”

MBDA will tap into its extensive national network of partners to drive and recruit new program partners while applying MBDA’s decades-long expertise. MBDA plans to facilitate a range of technical assistance to small business, with a particular focus on providing support to entrepreneurs seeking venture capital financing and other forms of equity financing. Additionally, the agency will facilitate a suite of additional supportive services, such as intellectual property education and resources.

SSBCI will provide recipient jurisdictions with capital funding for venture capital programs, loan participation programs, loan guarantee programs, collateral support programs, and capital access programs. SSBCI funding is expected to catalyze up to $10 of private investment for every $1 of SSBCI capital funding, amplifying the effects of this funding and providing small business owners with the resources they need to sustainably grow and thrive. Treasury’s guidance published today will help ensure that technical assistance available under SSBCI is available to small businesses for which private capital is particularly scarce, including for small businesses in underserved areas.