Last January, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 395 to 14 to pass the AI for Main Street Act — a bill that directs Small Business Development Centers across all 50 states to start teaching small business owners how to use AI. That kind of bipartisan margin does not happen by accident. In a Congress that fights over naming post offices, nearly everyone agreed that small businesses need help with this.

The bill is now in the Senate. It has not become law yet. But something interesting happened while it was waiting: Perplexity — the AI search company — announced a $25 million program to hand $250 in AI credits to roughly 100,000 small businesses that have received SBA-backed loans. The program is called the Main Street AI Accelerator. It is real. It is not a scam. And most eligible owners have no idea it exists.

What the AI for Main Street Act Actually Does

The bill itself is simple. It amends the Small Business Act to require the roughly 1,000 SBDCs nationwide — the same offices that have helped people write business plans and apply for loans since 1980 — to add AI training and outreach to their services. That means guidance on using AI tools, best practices for protecting data, incorporating AI into operations, and improving cybersecurity.

No new agency. No new funding (the bill explicitly says "no additional amounts are authorized"). It uses the existing SBDC network that most owners drive past without knowing it exists. These offices are usually attached to a local university or community college. They already offer free business advising. Now they are supposed to cover AI too.

The training will likely follow a tiered structure — foundations first, then applied use, then ongoing advisory. Compare that to the $2,000 to $5,000 "AI for business" bootcamps flooding LinkedIn ads. The SBDC version will be free or low-cost, local, and designed for people who have never touched an AI tool beyond asking ChatGPT to write an email.

The Perplexity Credits: Real Money, Narrow Eligibility

Separately from the Act, Perplexity launched its Main Street AI Accelerator in collaboration with the SBA in June 2026. The offer: $250 in credits for Perplexity Computer, their multi-agent AI platform that can research, write, build workflows, and delegate tasks.

Here is the catch most people will miss: eligibility is limited to businesses that have received SBA 7(a) loans, 504 loans, or microloans. That is still a large group — these are the most common federal small business financing programs — but it is not every business under 500 employees. If you have never taken an SBA loan, you do not qualify for this specific program.

Another catch: applications are not open yet. Perplexity is collecting interest signups at their program site. The credits are coming, but you cannot claim them today.

Why This Matters Even If You Cannot Get the Credits

The credits are a nice headline. But the bigger story is the signal. When the House votes 395 to 14 on anything — anything at all — it means both parties agree this is a real problem. The problem: small businesses are buying AI tools but not actually using them. Multiple surveys in 2026 show that while 70 to 80 percent of small businesses say they use AI, fewer than one in seven have embedded it deeply enough to change how they operate.

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, speaking at an Axios event on June 9, 2026, called AI "a huge leveler of the playing field." SBA CIO Hartley Caldwell called it "the great equalizer" that lets a five-person shop behave like a company with a full marketing department and a CFO. The rhetoric is strong. The question is whether the infrastructure — SBDCs that are already stretched thin — can deliver on it.

What You Can Do Right Now

Find your local SBDC at americassbdc.org. Call them — not email — and ask whether they are offering AI training yet. Some centers are already running programs. Others are still building curriculum. Either way, the advising is free and always has been.

If you have received an SBA loan in the past, visit the Perplexity Main Street AI Accelerator page and sign up for notifications. When applications open, $250 in credits will not transform your business alone, but it is enough to try a serious AI tool without risking your own budget.

The bill has not become law yet. The credits are not available yet. But the direction is clear, the resources are building, and the owners who show up early to their local SBDC will be the ones who actually know what to do with the tools when they arrive.