Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME)

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued Program Announcement No. PRIME-2015-01 to provide training and capacity building grant programs to microenterprise development organizations (MDOs). SBA will evaluate applications for funding in accordance with the purposes of the Act, including an application's ability to demonstrate mission-oriented and culturally competent projects and/or services that reflect local community demographics. Section 5.0 of the Program Announcement more fully defines the specific evaluation criteria. PRIME has two tracks for which SBA will consider granting awards under this program announcement. • Track 1 - seeks applications for funding to provide training and technical assistance programs to disadvantaged entrepreneurs including training specifically designed to implement automated financial accounting, financial reporting, and inventory management systems, etc. • Track 2 (Capacity Building) - seeks applications for funding to provide training and capacity building services to MDOs, microenterprise development programs, and groups of such organizations to assist them in developing microenterprise training and services, including services geared towards building MDO capacity to provide business training and technical assistance that will improve the ability of small businesses.

The purpose of this Program Announcement is to invite proposals for funding from private, non-profit microenterprise development organizations; microenterprise development programs run by State/Local/Tribal Governments; or Indian tribes interested in providing assistance and guidance to disadvantaged microentrepreneurs and/or microenterprise development organizations for the purposes stated in this Announcement.