Ombudsman and Regulatory Fairness Boards

Small Business Administration

To assure equity and fairness in federal regulation of small business by receiving comments from small businesses, small non-profit organizations or small government entities (representing less than 50,000 people) regarding regulatory compliance and enforcement involving Federal Agencies or Agency employees; to ease undue compliance burdens for small business by: (a) facilitating independent, high-level Agency reviews of compliance or enforcement activities against small businesses and (b) prom

Jargon-free version

Helps small businesses and non-profits share their concerns about federal regulations. It provides support to reduce compliance burdens and access resources.

Quick Facts

Funding
$5 - $9,999,999,999
Deadline
Rolling
Status
Rolling Intake
Category
Business Financing & Capital
Organization
Small Business Administration

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What Is This Program?

To assure equity and fairness in federal regulation of small business by receiving comments from small businesses, small non-profit organizations or small government entities (representing less than 50,000 people) regarding regulatory compliance and enforcement involving Federal Agencies or Agency employees; to ease undue compliance burdens for small business by: (a) facilitating independent, high-level Agency reviews of compliance or enforcement activities against small businesses and (b) promoting access to compliance assistance resources available from Federal Agencies.

What Benefits Are Offered?

advisorydispute resolutionadvocacyregulatory assistance

Provides independent and confidential assistance to small entities, government entities, and not-for-profit organizations experiencing issues with federal regulatory enforcement. This includes addressing concerns of uneven or excessive enforcement, non-payment of invoices by federal agencies, incorrect assessments, penalties, and systemic regulatory issues. The office helps reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens by holding federal agencies accountable, often leading to resolved payment disputes, penalty abatements, decision reversals, and systemic changes.

Who Is Eligible?

Business Size: small

Region: United States

Other Criteria: government entities, not-for-profit organizations, experiencing excessive or uneven federal regulatory enforcement actions, experiencing issues with federal agency audits, on-site inspections, compliance assistance efforts, or other enforcement-related communication, experiencing issues with existing federal regulation or guidelines

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🏆 Detailed Application Guide

📋What Are the Application Steps & Timeline?

📝Steps to Apply
  • File a federal agency comment if experiencing excessive or uneven regulatory enforcement actions.
  • If unable to file using the online form, email the PDF comment form to ombudsman@sba.gov.
  • If you cannot access either form, call 888-REG-FAIR.
🌐Application Portal
http://www.sba.gov/ombudsman
📤Submission Method
online
🔄Intake Type
rolling

📄What Documents Are Required?

Required Documents
  • SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
  • SF-424A (Budget Information - Non-Construction)
  • SF-424B (Assurances)
  • Project Narrative
  • Budget Narrative
📐Format Requirements
PDF only, max 10MB
📥Templates Available

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💰What Expenses Are Eligible?

🤝Is Matching Funding Required?

📊What Are the Reporting Requirements?

🗓️Reporting Frequency
annual
📑Reporting Requirements
  • annual report to Congress
🔍Audit Requirements
null
📢Branding Requirements
null
🗄️Record Retention Period
null

How Do I Apply?

ombud@sba.gov
202-205-6499

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FAQFrequently Asked Questions

This program is available to small businesses located in United States.

This program offers funding up to $9,999,999,999 (minimum $5).

This program accepts applications on a rolling basis.

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