The SCORE Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneurial education and the formation, growth and success of small businesses nationwide. Our public service mission is to provide face-to-face and email business counseling to help small businesses evaluate plans, stabilize, grow, innovate and succeed.

SCORE is composed of 10,500 volunteer business mentors, both working and retired, who counsel businesses from 389 chapter offices throughout the country. SCORE volunteers hail from every facet of the business community. Some have worked at large corporations such as Kodak, Xerox and Boeing. Some have served in our military or worked for the local or federal government. Others have spent years cultivating their own small business.

Last year, SCORE helped expand small business opportunities by providing more than 440,000 services to Americans throughout the country.

Small Business Act of 1953

In the Small Business Act of 1953, which created the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE is referenced in section 8(b)(1)(B). Small Business Act (PDF format) (HTML format)

SCORE Celebrated 45th Anniversary in 2009

Since being officially launched by SBA Administrator Eugene P. Foley in 1964 as a national organization, thousands of Americans have served as SCORE counselors to help Americans become better business people. Today, SCORE volunteers are dedicated to the expansion of entrepreneurship. SCORE volunteers have had an important impact on small businesses and the economic and social well-being of communities nationwide.
History of SCORE