Get Your Business Funded: Creative Methods for Getting the Money You Need

Government Loans and Funds

Federal loans. On the federal level, you already know what the 800-pound gorilla is when it comes to loans—namely, SBA loans. But the good news is that that is not the only game in town. There are a wide variety of loan programs available for businesses from various federal agencies and departments. For instance:

The Department of Agriculture, Business & Industrial loans. The purpose of the “Business & Industrial (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program is to improve, develop, or finance business, industry, and employment and improve the economic and environmental climate in rural communities.”

SBA, Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) loans. These loans and this program offer equity capital and long-term loans to qualifying small businesses.

Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Loan Guaranty, Insurance, and Interest Subsidy Program. This program assists businesses in obtaining financing from private sources to aid the economies of Indian reservations.

Of course, there are many, many more, in all sorts of areas and promoting all sorts of policies. Some are geared specifically toward minorities. Others are for women or veterans. To learn about all of these various programs you can thankfully go to one of the following two spots:

• The government's online loan portal, GovLoans.gov
• The government's business portal, Business.gov/financing

“Business.gov is the US Government's official website for small businesses. Business.gov is the only government service to ...