PRIME — Program for Investors in Microentrepreneurs

PRIME — Grant for Microenterprise Development Organizations

Supports microenterprise development organizations with resources for training, assistance, and capital pathways for disadvantaged entrepreneurs.

The Program for Investors in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME) is an annual competitive grant administered by the Small Business Administration that provides funding to non-profit microenterprise development organizations (MDOs) and select government entities supporting disadvantaged microentrepreneurs. PRIME is explicitly aimed at low-income individuals, very low-income individuals, and entrepreneurs who lack access to capital or business training. Annual NOFOs are posted to Grants.gov in April or May of each calendar year; the FY2026 NOFO window was expected in that timeframe.

Historical award amounts range from $75,000 to $250,000 per organization, subject to available appropriations. Eligible applicants are non-profit MDOs, state, local, and tribal government agencies, Indian tribes, and formally structured collaborations of the above. For-profit entities, universities, and research organizations are not eligible. The grant funds organizations that deliver training, technical assistance, and access-to-capital services to microentrepreneurs — PRIME does not provide direct grants to individual business owners. The indirect beneficiary chain is SBA to the MDO to the microentrepreneur receiving services.

Competitive applications document the organization's existing microentrepreneur client base, the disadvantaged communities served, the training and technical assistance services delivered, and the organization's track record of improving business outcomes for low-income clients. PRIME follows the same indirect-beneficiary structure as FAST and the SBA's State Trade Expansion Program: the federal funds enable intermediary organizations to scale services rather than flowing directly to end businesses. Applicants should monitor Grants.gov starting in April each year for the current cycle NOFO, as the application window is narrow and the award amounts must be confirmed from the current-year posting.