Our goal is to foster an environment that supports the development of small and diverse businesses within the City of Gainesville and in our surrounding communities.
The Mentor Protégé Program is a year-long program that pairs emerging businesses (protégés) with established businesses (mentors) to build a strong network of local diverse businesses that are well-equipped and qualified to do business with the City of Gainesville.
Mentors and protégés are paired according to industry and interest. During the year, there will be a series of enrichment sessions, where city departments, business leaders and industry professionals will facilitate discussions on diverse topics. A schedule of these sessions will be provided upon acceptance into the program.
Our expectations for mentors are to commit to the following:
Our expectations for protégés are to commit to the following:
Application submissions for the mentoring program have been closed and will reopen for the 2025 Mentoring Program in October 2025.
If you have additional questions, please email If you have additional questions, please email sbpp@gainesvillefl.gov.
2025-BUSINESS-MENTORING-PROGRAM(PDF, 2MB)
2025-Mentoring-Agreement-Form.pdf(PDF, 663KB)
2025-Mentor-Quarterly-Progress-Report.pdf
2025-Protégé-Quarterly-Progress-Report.pdf
Year-end-Rating-Sheet.docx(DOCX, 25KB)
2025-Small-Business-Supplier-Roundtable-Calendar(PDF, 839KB)