Small Business Microloan Program
- Loan and Line of Credit
- $10,000 - $150,000
- Any small business
Email or call Landon Baines (510) 869-7025
Business Cash Flow Manager
- Line of Credit
- $10,000 - $250,000
- Any small business
Quick Loan
- Loan
- $5,000 - $250,000
- Any small business
Email Mark Poon to walk through the application with a banker
Zero Barriers to Business
- Business line of credit
- $10,000 - $50,000
- Women, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native-owned small businesses
Visit your local BMO branch to learn more or email a specialty lending specialist
Small Business Diversity Banking Program
Loan and Line of Credit
- $10,000 - $1 million
- Women, Minority, Veteran and LGBTQ (WMV+) owned small businesses
Email or call Hillary Leon (925) 586-0935
Applying
Who should apply?
The financial products are publicly available, so anyone may apply. SF Lends referrals and resources are available to all Certified City & County of San Francisco Local Business Enterprises (LBE’s) with active contractual relations with the government – direct or subcontract.
Please make sure the terms are manageable for your budget and circumstances.
What You'll Need
Each bank will require a business credit check along with the following documents, so we advise that you have them ready before reaching out to improve the time for processing. At minimum, you will need:
Identification documents, such as a Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number and government-issued photo ID
Information about your business’ income, expense, profit, and payments, such as a Profit and Loss statement
Tax returns
Business and personal financial statements
LBE certification letter and copies of either prime or subcontracts you have on City & County of San Francisco projects
Purpose for the funds
Application Process
Once referred for financial products, your application will undergo the financial institution’s standard application and underwriting procedures. Upon review of their application, approval for a loan, line of credit, and any other financial product is at the sole discretion of the financial institution providing the financial product.
If you have difficulty with the application process or apply and are not approved, please reach out to sf.lends@sfgov.org for further assistance. Free services to guide you through the process are available to certified LBEs.
Help and Support
Before speaking with the bank, you can make use of SF Lends’ free assistance. These programs help answer your questions, such as selecting an appropriate financial product and preparing the documentation needed to apply. They can also help with barrier removal if you have experienced challenges applying for funding in the past, like being denied due to your personal credit score.
Get One-on-One Personalized Advice
San Francisco Small Business Development Center
Dedicated one-on-one consultants can help you obtain the right financial products to meet your business’ financial goals.
Sign Up or call 415-937-7232 to make an appointment.
Get Help with Your Credit
Office of Financial Empowerment's
Smart Money Coaching
Free, confidential, one-on-one credit counseling can help you improve your credit and meet other financial goals.
Schedule Appointment or call 877-256-0073
Frequently Asked Questions
SF Lends provides access to funding to meet small business owners’ day-to-day financial needs. You can use the funds to match your specific circumstances, such as paying vendors or subcontractors, purchasing equipment, and having the flexible resources you need to grow your businesses.
Our office employed a Request for Information process to identify affordable, accessible loans and lines of credit for small businesses in San Francisco. Six banks applied and four were selected based on the quality and affordability of their products.
The following conditions may make your business ineligible to be approved for financial products:
Your business or any of the owners are in bankruptcy or have filed for bankruptcy protection in the last 7-10 years
You are presently suspended, debarred, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from participation by any Federal of State department or agency
You have a history of conviction or pending legal action for any financial crime
Yes, while the options above focus on working capital, U.S. Bank also offers business equipment financing for small businesses.
Make an appointment with the Small Business Development Center to make a plan for next steps.
The Office of Small Business and Office of Economic and Workforce Development provide a variety of resources for small businesses to access capital. Learn more about Loans and borrowing money for your business.
Additionally, California Small Business Loan Match is a new lender-match tool provided by the CA IBank. They created Loan Match to ease the process of finding trusted loans for California entrepreneurs, gathering dozens of lenders on one platform for a one-stop experience. All lenders have been pre-vetted and enrolled in IBank’s Loan Guarantee Program, which specializes in bridging the gap between responsible lenders and small businesses. Access the tool here.