Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary
For 250 years, small businesses have powered innovation, created opportunity, and strengthened local communities. Main Street Builds America – and through Freedom 250, SBA is honoring that legacy while investing in the next generation of builders, makers, and job creators.
Throughout 2026, SBA will launch a series of national initiatives to recognize American ingenuity, elevate small businesses, and reaffirm the role of Main Street in building America’s future.
Patriot Pitch Competition
SBA is hosting a nationwide pitch competition that will bring together entrepreneurs from across the country who are building and scaling businesses within their communities.
Selected businesses will be invited to participate in a live pitch competition in Washington, DC, which will culminate in a $1 million prize pool to celebrate the innovation and ambition that has driven American ingenuity for the past 250 years.
Judging
Submissions will be evaluated by four stages of judging panels looking at how each business performs in the following categories:
- Strengthening American competitiveness
- Small business “punching above its weight”
- Economic impact and quality jobs
- Business fundamentals and execution readiness
The top 10 semifinalists will be announced the week of July 4, 2026, during the Great American State Fair. The five finalists will be invited to participate in a live pitch competition in Washington, DC.
The competition is open to:
- U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are at least 18 years of age at the time of submission (or teams of such individuals)
- Private entities or teams that meet SBA’s definition of a small business
- Individuals submitting on behalf of corporations, nonprofits, or other organizations or groups of individuals (such as an academic class or other team) must meet the eligibility requirements for individual contestants.
- An individual cannot belong to more than one team submitting an entry in this competition.
Your business must:
- Have a minimum of 3 years in business operation
- Have a gross revenue production of at least $100,000 annually
- Have benefited from one or more of the following SBA capital products:
- 7(a) loans (including Paycheck Protection Program loans)
- 504 loans
- Microloan Intermediary loans
- SBIR / STTR funded entities
- SBIC financed small business concerns
- Note: participants who received COVID-19 EIDL loans or SBA Disaster loans are not eligible based on those loans but may be eligible if they received the capital products listed above.
- Be current and in good standing on any federal obligations. Businesses that have, at any time, defaulted on a federal loan or federally-guaranteed financing that has resulted in the federal government or any of its agencies or departments sustaining a loss in any of its programs and businesses owned or controlled a person who previously owned, operated, or controlled a business which defaulted on a federal loan or guaranteed financing and caused the federal government or any of its agencies or departments to sustain a loss in any of its programs are ineligible to apply for the competition. For purposes of the competition, a compromise agreement as described at 31 C.F.R. 3711 shall also be considered a loss.
- Be headquartered and operated in the United States and/or its territories
- Be 100% owned by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
- Actively drive innovation in your sector, leveraging new technologies or strategies to modernize operations or strengthen your competitive edge
Finalists must be available to travel for the national pitch competition, which will occur on one day between September 8th – 18th (to be finalized at a later time), at their own expense.
Eligible participants must agree to assume risks of personal injury/property damage arising from their participation in the competition and waive such claims against the government or competition judges to enter the competition.
Additional eligibility requirements
The competition is not open to:
- SBA employees and contractors
- Federal entities
- Non-SBA federal employees acting within the scope of their employment
- Individuals or organizations that are currently suspended or debarred by the federal government
Disclosure of information
Requests for information about another party may be denied unless SBA has the written permission of the individual to release the information to the requestor or unless the information is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The Privacy Act authorizes SBA to make certain “routine uses” of information protected by that Act. One such routine use is the disclosure of information maintained in SBA’s system of records when this information indicates a violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal, or administrative in nature. Specifically, SBA may refer the information to the appropriate agency, whether Federal, State, local or foreign, charged with responsibility for, or otherwise involved in investigation, prosecution, enforcement or prevention of such violations. Another routine use is disclosure to other Federal agencies conducting background checks but only to the extent the information is relevant to the requesting agencies’ function. See, 74 F.R. 14890 (2009), and as amended from time to time for additional background and other routine uses.
Freedom 250 Small Business Pledge
Join thousands of small businesses across the country in celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
By signing the Freedom 250 Small Business Pledge, businesses commit to:
- Building and growing in America
- Creating opportunity for American workers
- Advancing a strong, competitive U.S. economy
- Innovating and investing in the future
- Upholding America’s entrepreneurial spirit
Main Street Builds America – today, tomorrow, and for the next 250 years.
Freedom 250 Main Street Tour
Main Street Builds America – Community by Community
As part of Freedom 250, the Main Street Tour celebrates the small businesses and local economies that have driven American growth for 250 years – bringing the national commemoration directly to communities across the country.
- A 50-stop Main Street tour
- Collaboration with chambers of commerce, community organizations, and local leaders
- Focus on rural and industrial communities critical to America’s economic strength
Celebrate our nation’s birthday
America is celebrating with events that honor our history, showcase the beauty of the country, and ignite innovation.
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