The Small Business Administration said Tuesday that it has stopped accepting Paycheck Protection Program loan guarantee applications, which provided more than $798 billion to small businesses during the pandemic.
SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said Tuesday in a statement that the PPP provided over 8.5 million small businesses and nonprofits with "the lifeline they needed to survive during a once-in-generation economic crisis."
Guzman noted, however, that "millions of underserved businesses — particularly our smallest businesses and those owned by women and people of color — were left out of early rounds of relief," but that the SBA rectified these inequities.
"In 2021, 96% of PPP loans went to small businesses with fewer than 20 employees," Guzman said. "Moving forward, we will continue to prioritize equity in all SBA's programs and services."
The program has supported "the smallest of small businesses" with 32% of the loans going to low-and-moderate income communities, SBA said.
