Women and Minorities can apply for ALL loans but there are certain loan programs available to help increase the number of women and minority business owners. Some excellent resources for women and minorities looking for small business funding:
Accion USA is a private non-profit organization offering small business loans up to $50,000. Their focus is mainly providing small business loans and other resources to women and minority groups who have been unable to obtain traditional financing from banks and other lenders.
Accion New Mexico-Arizona-Colorado is part of the Accion International Network and is focused on providing small business loans and services to minorities and women in the communities within the states of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado.
Kiva is an online lending platform where individuals can lend to other individuals in order to empower them out of poverty. It is aimed at encouraging women and minority owned businesses.
Appalachian Community Enterprises is a non-profit organization providing business loans up to $50,000 dollars. You must live or own a business in the state of Georgia to qualify for a loan with ACE.
AEO is a national leader in microenterprise. They work in partnership with over 500 member organizations to provide small business assistance and resources to entrepreneurs.
Mountain Biz Works provides training, coaching and financing to entrepreneurs living or working in qualifying counties in North Carolina.
Microplace is a wholly owned subsidiary of E-Bay and provides micro-loans to the working poor through it’s secure online platform.
WVF is a non-profit organization helping women of diverse backgrounds become business owners through financing, business training and networking.
Fund Isabella provides intellectual and financial capital for early stage, fast growth companies. They encourage women entrepreneurs to apply.
The Angel Capital Association provides information and access to over 300 angel groups and investment opportunities in the U.S. and Canada.
DiversityBusiness.com is a membership-based multi-cultural business website which offers networking, business news, resources, directories, business leads and many other services.
The Wisconsin Business Initiative provides business financing and education to entrepreneurs in Wisconsin.