To be eligible to receive a grant through the Nebraska Small Business Assistance Act an applicant must meet these requirements per the Nebraska Legislature. The program will be open until March 2025 OR until grant dollars run out.

To qualify for benefits, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be a for-profit business.
• Be based in Nebraska.
• Be 19 years of age.
• The individual applicant must be authorized to work in the United States.
• Applicant cannot have ownership of another business, which the department has defined as 51% or more ownership.

Applicants will need to meet the specific requirements for each benefit.

Please note, there is significant interest in this program and applications to the program are reviewed and processed in the order they are received. Please anticipate a delayed response as the applications are being reviewed. This pilot program has considerably more demand than funding, meaning many otherwise eligible applicants will not receive program benefits. Applications will be triaged based on the following criteria:

• Nebraska resident
• Submitted application with all application materials present
• “Shovel-ready” – (1) working with a resource provider, (2) have a business plan, and (3) complete application information
• Underserved geography – preference will be given to ensure program benefits are distributed proportionally across the state

The initial review of applications will result in either assignment to a program representative at one of the partnered organizations to complete program processes, hold for future consideration, or declined.