HUBZone Program

 in Business Development / Economic Development / U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by
  • Small Business Administration (SBA)
  • SBA Illinois District Office
  • 500 W. Madison St., Suite 1150
  • Phone: (312) 353-4528
  • Fax: (312) 886-5688
  • Email: Illinois.do@sba.gov
  • Website Link:

Purpose of the Program

The HUBZone program fuels small business growth in historically underutilized business zones with a goal of awarding at least three percent of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year. Joining the HUBZone program makes your business eligible to compete for the program’s set-aside contracts. HUBZone-certified businesses also get a 10 percent price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions. HUBZone-certified businesses can still compete for contract awards under other socio-economic programs they qualify for.

Who is Eligible

To qualify for the HUBZone program, your business must:

  • Be a small business
  • Be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian tribe
  • Have its principal office located in a HUBZone
    Have at least 35 percent of its employees live in a HUBZone

You can get a preliminary assessment of whether you qualify at the SBA’s Certify website, https://certify.sba.gov/am-i-eligible

Application Process

Before you can participate in the HUBZone program, you must be certified by the SBA. To get HUBZone certified, make sure you have accounts on SAM.gov and the General Login System. Apply for HUBZone certification using the General Login System. You will be required to submit different supporting documentation based on your ownership structure:

·         Corporations must be prepared to submit documents described in the Corporation Document Request.

·         Sole Proprietors must be prepared to submit documents described in the Sole Proprietor Document Request.

·         Partnerships must be prepared to submit documents described in the Partnership Document Request.

·         LLCs must be prepared to submit documents described in the LLC Document Request.

You’ll need to recertify for the HUBZone program once a year. There is no limit to the length of time a business can participate as long as it continues to qualify. A full documentation review will be required every three years.