Score
Active
- Assistance listing
- 59.026
- Grant awards
- 18 $143,020,279 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 73-0400-0-1-376
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Small Business Administration is awarding grants under CFDA 59.026 to fund mentoring and business development assistance for small business owners and entrepreneurs, with the most recent award issued on October 1, 2024 and a current open opportunity due August 14, 2026.
The program maintains steady annual activity, with one award per year over the past five years. Since 2000, the SBA has distributed 18 total awards worth $143 million in combined federal obligations. Awards show consistent timing around October 1 annually, indicating a predictable grant cycle. Recent opportunities are posted in the preceding summer and fall, with due dates clustered in October through early November.
The program funds the operational and programmatic delivery of SCORE, the nation's largest network of volunteer business mentors operating more than 250 local chapters with over 10,000 dedicated volunteers. Funded activities include providing high-quality business and economic development mentoring and workshops to existing small businesses and nascent pre-venture entrepreneurs, along with chapter operations, counselor support, training, and national office management.
Funding is dominated by the SBA Office of Entrepreneurial Development, which accounts for seven awards totaling $83.7 million in federal obligations, or 58 percent of all federal dollars obligated under the program. The broader SBA accounts for eight awards at $42.3 million, while the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development holds two awards at $16.8 million. The program operates as predominantly Cooperative Agreements (61 percent of awards) with a smaller share of Project Grants (39 percent).
Recent award magnitudes have ranged from $7.6 million to $26.5 million, with recent fiscal-year cooperative agreements in the $12 million to $26.5 million range. Non-federal cost-share totals $18.1 million against the $143 million in federal obligations.
The current open opportunity, SB-OEDSC-26-001, posted July 9, 2026, is restricted to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and awards a Cooperative Agreement. The source indicates the opportunity is open only to the SCORE Association. Prior opportunities from 2024 and 2025 show the program was already operating under that restricted structure, consistent with historical awards to the single incumbent recipient.
Objective and description
- Objective
To provide mentoring and workshops to potential and existing small business owners using the management experience of retired and active business professionals.
- Description
To provide mentoring and workshops to potential and existing small business owners using the management experience of retired and active business professionals.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
This opportunity is open only to the SCORE Association.
- Beneficiary eligibility
This opportunity is open only to the SCORE Association.
- Uses of assistance
SCORE members volunteer to provide small business counseling and mentoring services to the public free of charge. Small business training workshops are offered for a low fee. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration and works with the agency to serve aspiring and existing small business owners. A small business owner interested in getting help from SCORE should contact the local chapter, the SBA District Office, or SCORE's website, www.score.org. The SCORE national office is bound by the terms set forth in the annual Notice of Award. All existing and potential small business owners are eligible for assistance from SCORE. The business must be independently owned and operated, not dominant in its field, and must conform to SBA size standards.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
The length varies as appropriate.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
As defined in SBA Request for Proposals Notice on Grants.gov
Grant opportunities
| Opportunity | Status | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service corp of RET executives (score) 2026-01 | Closed | ||
| Score-2025-01 | Closed | ||
| Score-2024-01 | Closed | ||
| Score-2022-01 | Closed | ||
| SCORE Program | Closed | ||
| Score | Closed | ||
| Score | Closed | ||
| Score | Closed |
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 18 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Score Association | $142,177,536 | 99% |
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$11 |
| FY2025 | $7,638,100 |
| FY2024 | $17,000,000 |
| FY2023 | $17,000,000 |
| FY2022 | $14,000,000 |
| FY2021 | $6,871,606 |
| FY2020 | $11,653,340 |
| FY2019 | $4,285,000 |
| FY2018 | $11,500,000 |
| FY2017 | $10,735,000 |
| FY2016 | $10,500,000 |
| FY2015 | $8,000,000 |
| FY2014 | $7,000,000 |
| FY2013 | $7,280,000 |
| FY2012 | $7,040,000 |
| FY2011 | $742,000 |
| FY2010 | $932,500 |
| FY2004 | $547,946 |
| FY2001 | $294,797 |
Show all 19
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 59.026?
Assistance Listing 59.026 is Score, a federal grant program run by Small Business Administration.
What is the CFDA number for Score?
Its CFDA number is 59.026: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 59.026 awarded?
18 grant awards under 59.026 have obligated $143,020,279 in federal funds to 1 recipient.
Who receives the most funding from 59.026?
The recipients obligated the most under Score are Score Association ($142,177,536).
How much did 59.026 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 59.026 obligated $7,638,100 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 59.026?
No opportunity listed under 59.026 is open now. The latest, Service corp of RET executives (score) 2026-01, was posted on July 9, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
- Every grant award and opportunity under it
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