Congressional Grants
Active
- Assistance listing
- 59.059
- Grant awards
- 503 $377,786,677 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Congressional Directed Spending
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Formula Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 73-0100-0-1-376
- 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 (Assistance Listing 59.059) awards Congressional Grants through mandatory congressional appropriations, with the most recent grant award dated March 1, 2025. The program funds small business development and entrepreneurship initiatives including programmatic and construction activities, channeled through community organizations, municipalities, educational institutions, and minority business chambers. Award activity has accelerated sharply in recent years: 143 awards in 2024, 198 in 2023, and 125 in 2022, against a longer historical baseline of 12 awards in 2011. The portfolio comprises 503 total awards since 2009, obligating $377.8 million in combined federal dollars.
The assistance-type mix is nearly entirely Project Grants, which account for 498 of 503 awards (99 percent); the remainder are Formula Grants. Funding is concentrated at the Small Business Administration Office of the Chief Operating Officer, which issued 473 awards totaling $374.3 million, with a smaller parallel track from the SBA itself accounting for 30 awards and $3.5 million.
Recent award magnitudes range from under $100 thousand to $5 million, with most falling between $500 thousand and $2 million. Representative recent grants include $4 million to the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority for FY24 congressional community project funding (January 2025), $2.4 million to the University of Maine System (October 2024), and $5 million to the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County (September 2024). Recipients span a broad spectrum: ports, universities, city governments, minority chambers of commerce, and specialized nonprofits focused on economic development and workforce training.
The program operates on a rolling award basis tied to congressional appropriation cycles. Grant applications require completion of an application form on Grants.gov followed by a notice of award, reimbursement of expenses, and award closure. Federal grant awards range from less than one year to five-year performance periods. No recent open grant opportunities are currently listed in the source; funding operates as a directed congressional appropriations program rather than an open-competition solicitation process.
Objective and description
- Objective
Provide funding for small business development and entrepreneurship initiatives, including programmatic and construction activities
Eligibility
- Credentials and documentation
Recipients need to submit to SBA a completed application under Grants.gov prior to receiving any type of funding. Only once application is considered complete by SBA shall any funding be disbursed. Funds are only disbursed via reimbursement of project related expenses.
- Uses of assistance
Specific grants for research, training, demonstration projects, small business assistance, construction, community and economic development, educational programs, business and infrastructure development, and/or rural development.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Assistance is available for the current fiscal year following enactment of an appropriation. Grantees are required to use funds within 5 years from when the funding is first available to them, and funds that are not spent in this time frame can be recovered by the U.S. Treasury.
How to apply
- Award procedure
Completion of application form to satisfaction of SBA on Grants.gov. Upon satisfactory completion a notice of award is signed with applicant. This process is followed by reimbursement from SBA of expenses incurred followed by a closing of award.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Congressional mandatory awards; priority rolling approval.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 503 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University Of Maine System | $11,489,000 | 3% |
| 2 | Vermont Center For Emerging Technologies, Inc. | $8,000,000 | 2% |
| 3 | Mississippi State University | $6,550,000 | 2% |
| 4 | Jackson State University | $6,000,000 | 2% |
| 5 | Latino Chamber Of Commerce Of Dane County, Inc. | $5,000,000 | 1% |
| 6 | University Of Alaska Anchorage | $4,342,010 | 1% |
| 7 | Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority | $4,000,000 | 1% |
| 8 | Conncorp, LLC | $4,000,000 | 1% |
| 9 | Secretary Of State, Nevada Office Of The | $4,000,000 | 1% |
| 10 | The University Of Mississippi | $3,743,000 | 1% |
10 of 425 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2024 | $115,387,292 |
| FY2023 | $175,885,997 |
| FY2022 | $83,021,630 |
| FY2016 | -$200,000 |
| FY2015 | -$729,742 |
| FY2012 | $200,000 |
| FY2011 | $1,017,500 |
| FY2010 | $60,000 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 59.059?
Assistance Listing 59.059 is Congressional Grants, a federal grant program run by Small Business Administration.
What is the CFDA number for Congressional Grants?
Its CFDA number is 59.059: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 59.059 awarded?
503 grant awards under 59.059 have obligated $377,786,677 in federal funds to 425 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 59.059?
The recipients obligated the most under Congressional Grants are University Of Maine System ($11,489,000), Vermont Center For Emerging Technologies, Inc. ($8,000,000) and Mississippi State University ($6,550,000).
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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