The U.S. Small Business Administration and lenders are taking more strides to improve the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) so that small businesses can access much needed PPP funds to persevere through the pandemic, recover, and build back better.

The White House is working with the SBA to increase equitable access to underserved small businesses, to assure the integrity of the program, and to promote rapid and efficient distribution of funds, according to a news release from the SBA.

Last week, the release said, the SBA hit a major milestone of approving $104 billion of PPP funds to more than 1.3 million small businesses. Highlights from this round include:

Reaching more of the smallest businesses; 82 percent of all loans going to businesses requesting less than $100,000
Reaching rural communities in a meaningful way; 28 percent of businesses who have received funding this round are in rural communities
Increasing partnerships with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) who are trusted agents in extending economic relief to minority communities and underserved populations

The SBA said it is also following through on its commitment to take additional steps towards improving the speed to resolve data mismatches and eligibility concerns so that small businesses have as much time as possible to access much needed PPP funds, while maintaining the integrity of the program. Three important changes will:

Enable lenders to directly certify eligibility of borrowers for First Draw and Second Draw PPP loan applications with validation errors to ensure businesses who need funds and are eligible receive them as quickly as possible
Allow lenders to upload supporting documentation of borrowers with validation errors during the forgiveness process
Create additional communication channels with lenders to assure we are constantly improving equity, speed, and integrity of the program, including an immediate national lender call to brief them on the Platform’s added capabilities

“We are pleased that the Paycheck Protection Program is targeting the smallest of small businesses and providing economic relief at a crucial time in American history,” said SBA Senior Advisor to the Administrator Michael Roth. “The SBA has achieved another major milestone to provide critical recovery capital to America’s small businesses by approving 1.3 million PPP loans totaling $104 billion in the current round.

“While we are excited that we are doing a better job of reaching the hardest hit industries and communities, we are committed to taking additional steps to ensure that there is equitable access for underserved businesses and that we are leading with empathy to support small businesses in a difficult spot.”