Technical Assistance Program (TAP)

Technical Assistance Program (TAP)

Funds nonprofit capacity through technical assistance infrastructure for California small businesses.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Technical Assistance Program (TAP) 2025-2026 is CalOSBA's annual grant program providing funding to established nonprofit technical assistance centers that deliver business support services to California's small businesses and entrepreneurs. For the 2025-2026 grant cycle, $23 million in total funding was available. The grant period runs from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The 2025-2026 cycle closed with a deadline of August 8, 2025, and award announcements were made in September 2025; the next cycle (TAP 2026-2027) is expected to open in summer 2026. Funds are disbursed via quarterly reimbursement within 45 days of invoice submission — the program does not advance-fund grantees.

Eligible applicants are exclusively organizations that operate as technical assistance centers serving small businesses — not individual small businesses themselves. Specifically, applicants must be 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) nonprofits, or federally or privately funded technical assistance centers, and must be located in California serving California entrepreneurs. TAP requires a 100% dollar-for-dollar match from federal or private sources; no other government funds may satisfy this match requirement. Award amounts are dependent on the applications received across the funding pool rather than fixed per-applicant caps. Applications are submitted at startupspace.app after reviewing full guidelines at calosba.ca.gov. Contact CalOSBA Programs at 1-877-345-4633 or sbtaep@gobiz.ca.gov.

TAP is the successor program to California's Small Business Technical Assistance Expansion Program (TAEP) and prioritizes organizations with track records of serving underserved and low-wealth communities. Competitive applicants will demonstrate prior grant performance, a measurable client services track record, confirmed federal or private match sources, and geographic or demographic reach into underserved California markets. Organizations planning to apply for TAP 2026-2027 should monitor the CalOSBA website from spring 2026 and ensure their federal match commitments — typically from SBA, USDA, or similar sources — are confirmed before the cycle opens.