SBA’s Role

SBA provides a number of financial assistance programs for small businesses that have been specifically designed to meet key financing needs, including debt financing, surety bonds, and equity financing.

Guaranteed Loan Programs (Debt Financing)
SBA does not make direct loans to small businesses. Rather, SBA sets the guidelines for loans, which are then made by its partners (lenders, community development organizations, and microlending institutions). SBA guarantees that these loans will be repaid, thus eliminating some of the risk to the lending partners. So when a business applies for an SBA loan, it is actually applying for a commercial loan, structured according to SBA requirements with an SBA guaranty.

SBA-guaranteed loans may not be made to a small business if the borrower has access to other financing on reasonable terms.

SBA loan guaranty requirements and practices can change as the Government alters its fiscal policy and priorities to meet current economic conditions. Therefore, you can’t rely on past policy when seeking assistance in today's market.

For more information, go to Guaranteed Loan Programs

Bonding Program (Surety Bonds)
SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee (SBG) Program helps small business contractors who cannot obtain surety bonds through regular commercial channels.

A surety bond is a three-party instrument between a surety (someone who agrees to be responsible for the debt or obligation of another), a contractor and a project owner. The agreement binds the contractor to comply with the terms and conditions of a contract. If the contractor is unable to successfully perform the contract, the surety assumes the contractor's responsibilities and ensures that the project is completed.

Through the SBG Program, SBA makes an agreement with a surety guaranteeing that SBA will assume a percentage of loss in the event the contractor should breach the terms of the contract. SBA's guarantee gives sureties an incentive to provide bonding for eligible contractors, thereby strengthening a contractor's ability to obtain bonding and greater access to contracting opportunities for small businesses.

SBA can guarantee bonds for contracts up to $5 million, covering bid, performance and payment bonds, and in some cases up to $10 million for certain contracts.

For more information, go to Bonding Program.

Venture Capital Program (Equity Financing)
SBA’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program is a public-private investment partnership through which SBA provides venture capital to small businesses. SBICs are privately owned and managed investment funds, licensed and regulated by the SBA. With the private capital they raise and with funds borrowed at favorable rates through SBA, SBICs provide financing in the form of debt or equity to small businesses.

SBICs are similar to venture capital, private equity and private debt funds in terms of how they operate and their ultimate objective to generate high returns for their investors.  However, unlike those funds, SBICs limit their investments to qualified small business concerns as defined by SBA regulations. 

For more information, go to Venture Capital Program