|
This resource guide provides easy access to information on national
organizations and programs that can provide assistance to small businesses on a
variety of financial services. Use the Resource Guide to explore capital access
and technical assistance sources for small and minority-owned businesses. The
information is organized under the following categories:
General Information and OCC Resources
The SBA's 7(a) Loan Program: A Flexible Tool for Commercial Lenders
This edition of Community Development Insights examines the primary bank risks, benefits, and regulatory considerations associated with the Small Business Administration's 7(a) Loan Program.
Advisory Letter on Capital Access for
Minority-Owned Businesses - This is an updated version of the
original advisory letter, released in 1998, and identifies activities and
practices that assist national banks in supporting the financing needs of
minority-owned businesses.
Strengthening America: The Small Business
Advantage - This edition of the Community Developments Newsletter looks at what banks and other financial institutions
are doing to support small businesses.
SBA 504 Loan Program: Small Businesses' Window to Wall Street - This edition of the Community Developments Insights examines the Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 Loan Program, a collaborative lending product through which banks team up with certified development companies (CDCs) to make loans for major fixed assets and promote economic development.
SBA 504 CDC Loan Program Teleseminar – On January 31, 2007, the OCC held a teleseminar that focused on the SBA 504 CDC Loan Program. As a follow-up to the OCC's release of the SBA 504 Loan Program: Small Businesses' Window to Wall Street Insights report, the agency brought together 504 practitioners and an examiner to provide interested listeners with additional information on how the program operates.
Capital Access Programs (CAP) - Capital Access Programs are pooled loan programs usually administered by state agencies. CAPs allow banks to use their own underwriting standards to make loans - no government approval is required. The U.S. Treasury maintains a report on capital access programs, Capital Access Programs: A summary of nationwide performance.
National Small Business Association (NSBA) - The National Small Business
Association® is a volunteer-directed association, the primary
mission of which is to advocate state and federal policies that are beneficial
to small business, the state, and the nation; and to promote the growth of free
enterprise.
Small Business Administration Programs
Community Developments Fact Sheet
Education/Training/Technical
Assistance
SBA Small Business
Development Centers (SBDC) - The U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) administers the Small Business Development Center
Program to provide management assistance to current and prospective small
business owners. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to individuals and small
businesses by providing management and technical assistance.
Small Business Development Center National Information Clearing House (SBDCNET) -
The mission of the Small Business Development Center National Information
Clearinghouse is to meet the information needs of the SBDC community in the
U.S. and its territories. SBDCNET serves as a resource providing timely,
relevant research, Web-based information, and training to SBDC counselors and
their small business clients.
National Business Incubation Association (NBIA)
- NBIA was established to advance business incubation and entrepreneurship.
NBIA provides information, education, advocacy and networking resources to
bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies
worldwide.
National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL) - The
National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, Inc. was established as
a source of technical information for small businesses and financial
institutions on the SBA 7(a) Loan Program.
Senior Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) - SBA originally sponsored the
now-independent SCORE to assist in providing technical assistance, advise, and
mentoring to aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. SCORE is a
nonprofit association with 11,500 volunteer business counselors located
throughout the U.S. in 389 chapters.
Kauffman Foundation - Entreworld.org is a Web portal providing online
resources for small business owners. It contains a search engine that can
provide articles, program information, and contacts for entrepreneurs and small
businesses.
Coleman Publishing Homepage - This Web site provides useful information on two key federal loans program for small businesses, the SBA 7(a) and 504 programs.
United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) - The USASBE is an organization that advances knowledge and fosters business development through entrepreneurship education and research.
Government Resources
U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) - The SBA's mission is to
maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by aiding, counseling, assisting,
and protecting the interests of small businesses and by helping families and
businesses recover from national disasters. It provides these services through
a number of programs.
Office of Advocacy - The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government that conducts economic research, policy analyses, and small business outreach to help identify issues of concern. This Office prepares an annual study of bank lending focusing on loans under $1 million (small business) and under $100,000 (micro business).
SBA
7(a) Loan Guaranty Program - This loan guaranty program is
designed to help eligible small businesses obtain bank financing when they
might not qualify for traditional financing. Loan proceeds may be used for most
business purposes, including working capital, machinery and equipment,
furniture and fixtures, land and buildings, leasehold improvements, and debt
refinancing. SBA offers tips
for ensuring that 7(a) loan guaranty claims get paid in full.
CAPLines
- Finances the short-term and cyclical working capital needs of small
businesses.
SBA 504 Certified Development Company Loan Program -
Provides subordinate financing needed by some small businesses. A certified
development company, or CDC, is a nonprofit corporation established to work
with lenders who make senior debt financing available to growing small
businesses. Typically, a 504 project includes a loan secured with a senior lien
from a bank covering up to 50 percent of the project cost, a subordinate 504
loan from the CDC (backed by a 100 percent SBA-guaranteed debenture) covering
40 percent of the cost, and the remaining 10 percent in equity from the borrower. Loans
made under the SBA 504 program are typically used for the
purchase of real estate or machinery and equipment for small business expansion
or modernization.
CommunityExpress
- CommunityExpress is a subset of the 7(a) program and provides
loan guarantees of up to 90 percent on loans up to $250,000. Unique features of
the program are that it targets low-and moderate-income geographies and women
and minority business entities (MBEs). The program contains the requirement for
pre- and post loan technical assistance to the MBE to be provided by
independent third parties.
SBA's Patriot Express Loan Initiative - This program provides loans offered by SBA's network of participating lenders nationwide for veterans and members of the military community seeking to establish or expand small businesses. Loans can be used for most business purposes, including start-up, expansion, equipment, purchases, working capital, inventory, or business-occupied real-estate purchases. Loans are available up to $500,000 and qualify for SBA's maximum guaranty of up to 90 percent for loans of $150,000 or less and up to 75 percent for loans over $150,000 up to $500,000. For loans above $350,000, lenders are required to take all available collateral.
Small Business
Investment Companies (SBIC) - SBICs are privately owned and
managed companies licensed by the SBA. The primary benefit of becoming a
licensed SBIC is that once approve, the SBA provides a 2:1
public/private-funding match on the required minimum private capital, thereby
leveraging the investor's initial equity contribution. Funds raised by SBICs are
then invested in firms, which meet the SBA's definition of small businesses.
SBA's Office of
Native American Affairs - Develops initiatives that
ensure Native Americans have access to business-development resources, training
and services in their communities. The primary focus of the Office of Native
American Affairs is economic development and job creation through small
business ownership and education. The Office works with individual and tribally
owned organizations; other federal, state, and local agencies; non-profit
organizations; and national Native American organizations.
SBA 8(a) Business
Development Certification - Small, minority-owned businesses
are certified by the SBA and then compete for government contracts. Firms end
up competing against firms with similar qualifications and size, and do not
have to compete with larger, more established businesses.
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) - U.S. Department of Commerce - The MBDA encourages the creation, growth, and expansion of minority-owned businesses. Technical assistance is provided to minority-owned businesses through agency workshops, conferences and direct technical assistance provision. MBDA also funds Business Development Centers around the country to assist with the start-up, expansion, and development of minority-owned firms.
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) - U.S. Department of the Interior - The primary responsibility of the OSDBU is to ensure that small businesses are treated fairly and have an opportunity to compete and be selected for a fair amount of the agency's contracting and subcontracting dollars. The OSDBU provides important information for developing small businesses.
Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program - U.S. Department of Agriculture - The Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program helps create jobs and stimulates rural economies by providing financial backing for rural businesses. This program provides guarantees up to 90 percent of a loan made by a commercial lender. Loan proceeds may be used for working capital, machinery and equipment, buildings and real estate, and certain types of debt refinancing. The primary purpose is to create and maintain employment and improve the economic climate in rural communities.
Rural
Business and Cooperative Service (RBCS) - The USDA's RBCS
office provides financial assistance for rural businesses and also funding
assistance for nonprofits or CDCs that in turn loan to rural businesses in
their local area.
U.S.
Department of Transportation Short Term Lending Program (STLP) -
This program assists Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) in obtaining
short-term working capital. The Short Term Lending Program (STLP) offers
certified DBEs the opportunity to obtain short-term working capital at prime
interest rates for transportation-related projects. The primary collateral
consists of the proceeds of the contracts. Borrowings under the lines of credit
are to meet the short-term costs of performing the contract(s) being financed.
Ex-Im Bank/SBA Pact - Small businesses may be able to take advantage of
a revolving working capital loan made available under a new agreement between
the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Export-Import Bank of the United
States. The agreement enables the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) to
co-guarantee working capital loans of up to $2 million per exporter under the
SBA's Export Working Capital Program, which typically guarantees loans of up to
$1.5 million, or 90 percent of a loan amount.
Venture Capital
National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC) is
the professional association for the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC)
industry. The association campaigns for federal laws, regulations, policies, and
low-cost capital that support SBICs and their ability to invest long-term debt
and equity venture capital in small businesses.
National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC) - The National
Association of Investment Companies is the only industry association for
investment companies dedicating financial resources to investment in an
ethnically diverse marketplace. NAIC member companies invest in privately held
minority-owned businesses that have a high probability of growth and the
ability to generate significant returns for investors and shareholders.
National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF) - The National
Association of Seed and Venture Funds is an organization of private, public and
nonprofit organizations committed to building their local economies by
investing and facilitating investment in local entrepreneurs.
Community Development Venture Capital Alliance (CDVCA) is the
trade association for the rapidly growing community development venture capital
industry. CDVCA promotes use of the tools of venture capital to create jobs,
entrepreneurial capacity and wealth to advance the livelihoods of low-income
people and the economies of distressed communities.
Mezzanine Funds - Mezzanine financing is a form of investment with risks
and returns between those of secured bank loans and equity investments.
Traditional mezzanine funds provide subordinated debentures with warrants to
purchase stock. Several multibank small business mezzanine funds now provide a
similar type of capital for smaller companies - but with changes that are
appropriate to their smaller deal sizes. For more information on mezzanine
funds, click here to view an article from an OCC Community Developments Newsletter.
Small Business Investment Companies - see Small Business Administration
in the Government Resources section.
Microenterprise
Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination (FIELD) - A
program of the Aspen Institute, the mission of FIELD is to identify, develop
and disseminate best practices and to educate policymakers, funders, and others
about microenterprise and an anti-poverty intervention. FIELD conducts research,
on microenterprise and provides a microenterprise directory, listing program
and resources for micro businesses and investors.
ACCION International - The mission of ACCION International is to provide
"micro" loans and business training to poor women and men who start their own
businesses.
Association for Enterprise Development (AEO) - AEO supports the
development of strong and effective U.S. microenterprise programs to assist
underserved entrepreneurs in starting, stabilizing, and expanding businesses.
Through workshops and on-going research, AEO puts entrepreneurs in touch with
organizations that can help.
The Microfinance Gateway provides information on small business and banking. Each month, the Microfinance Gateway adds valuable material received from industry participants to an online library of over 5,300 documents. Recent additions include Commercial Banks and Microfinance, and Women and Microfinance.
Minority and Women-owned Business
Womenbiz.gov
- This is the gateway for women-owned businesses seeking access to procurement
contract with the Federal government. The site offers links to assist in
finding markets and business opportunities and provides key contacts for the
woman entrepreneur.
Office of Women's
Business Ownership - OWBO promotes the growth of women-owned
businesses through programs that address business training and technical
assistance, and provide access to credit and capital, federal contracts, and
international trade opportunities. With a women's business ownership
representative in every SBA district office, a nationwide network of mentoring
roundtables, women's business centers in nearly every state and territory,
women-owned venture capital companies, and the Online Women's Business Center,
OWBO is helping unprecedented numbers of women start and build successful
businesses.
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) - NAWBO is a
national organization representing the interest of all women entrepreneurs in
all industries, and whose mission is to strengthen the wealth creating capacity
of women-owned businesses by building strategic alliances and affiliations.
SBA's Office of Native American Affairs - see Small Business
Administration in the Government Resources section.
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) - U.S. Department of Commerce - see the Government Resources section.
Procurement
National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) - Providing a
direct link between corporate America and minority-owned businesses is the
primary objective of the National Minority Supplier Development Council. It was
chartered to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for
minority businesses of all sizes.
SBA 8(a) Business Development Certification - see Small Business
Administration in the Government Resources section.
|
