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Connecting Small Businesses to More Pathways to Accessing Capital
No matter what stage or circumstance your business is in, resources are available to help you achieve your goals.
About The Program
The Small Business Resource Navigator connects small business owners to potential financing options and technical assistance services offered by Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).
As mission-driven community lenders, CDFIs play an important role in the financing ecosystem. They work with small business owners who have traditionally struggled to access capital from traditional sources, such as banks. CDFIs offer a wide range of responsible financing options for businesses including term loans, lines of credit, credit cards and real estate financing. Product offerings will vary between CDFIs.
How It Works
Complete a short questionnaire to provide information
about you and your business.
Based on your questionnaire, you will either be matched1 with a
CDFI or a business advisory resource.
The partner you are matched with will reach out to you to determine next steps.
What to Expect
After you fill out the questionnaire, you will either:
Be matched with a lender or business support resource. You must select to “Connect” with the partner(s) of your choice to move forward.
If you “Connect” with a partner, you will receive an automated email with the contact information for the partner you matched with. Be on the lookout for an email or phone call within 2 business days from the partner you matched with to determine next steps for:
- Loans: Filling out a full loan application and checking your business credit and financials
- Business Services: Determining the specific needs of your business and onboarding
- Grants: Learning more about requirements and filling out a grant application
If you do not hear from the partner you matched with within 2 business days, please reach out to them using the contact details in the email you receive from noreply@connect2capital.com.
If you cannot reach them, please contact support@connect2capital.com, and someone from our team will do their best to connect you with the organization you matched with.
OR:
If we do not have a partner on the platform that can serve you, there are Additional Resources you can explore: A Note on Business Services (also referred to as Technical Assistance)
Working with a Business Services provider can be a great way to improve your application or help you run a stronger and more resilient business. Small businesses who benefitted from Technical Assistance during the course of a loan application tend to have a higher loan application success rate than comparable other small businesses without such support. Our CDFI Partners
Our mission-driven lending partners serve a diverse population of small business owners nationwide. They specialize in working with individuals from communities that have traditionally struggled to access credit. There are more than 100 partners in the network to help meet your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs, are financial institutions that have a primary mission of community development and provide credit and financial services to underserved markets and populations. Most CDFIs are certified by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s CDFI Fund. CDFIs include banks, credit unions, certain non-profit organizations, and loan and venture capital funds. You can learn more at cdfifund.gov.
Wells Fargo has a long history of supporting CDFIs through philanthropic grants and investments that are used to extend capital to businesses in communities across the country. CDFI matching services offered through this Small Business Resource Navigator are made possible by a donation from Wells Fargo to Community Reinvestment Fund, USA. Community Reinvestment Fund, USA, is not a subsidiary or affiliate of Wells Fargo, and maintains full discretion over the Small Business Resource Navigator, including its content, resources, product offerings, CDFIs listed, privacy, and security. Credit decisions are made independently by each CDFI.
When completing the initial questionnaire, you will provide the amount you would like to borrow. If you move forward with a loan application, the amount you will be able to borrow will depend on the matched partner CDFI along with your business needs and credit history.
Yes, you will need to complete a new credit application if you match with a CDFI and apply for their credit product.
Depending on its institution type, CDFIs can provide financial services, financial education, and affordable lending opportunities within their communities.
Connect2Capital is an online, small-business lending platform launched by Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF). CRF is a national non-profit organization with a mission to improve lives and strengthen communities through innovative financial solutions.
Small Business Resource Navigator is made up of mission-driven lenders. They feel it’s their responsibility to try to connect you to a loan that is a right fit for your business, with reasonable terms. Interest rates and APR and will be displayed once your match has been made to help you decide what’s best for your needs.
Success Stories
A manufacturer in Arizona received $30,000 through one of the SBRN lenders to help purchase equipment and meet liquidity gaps.
A plumbing business in Georgia received an $80,000 loan through the program and was able to grow their business by 2 commercial vehicles and 2 employees.
“The SBRN has been a tremendous asset when it comes to referrals for business development services. The changes made to the platform have increased our successful matches for loan programming and have provided us with the demographic information we need to capture for each referral.
We have been able to recruit different businesses for our virtual business development workshops and to begin their loan applications with us. We hope that we continue to get good solid referrals like these.”
– Tonita McKnight, ACT! Albany Community Together
Resources
What is Technical Assistance?
Many partners provide a range of small business support services at low or no cost, including business consulting, coaching, education, connections to third-party resources, and financial planning, just to name a few. These services are often called Technical Assistance, and if available, they are listed as “Business Services” after filling out the pre-application.
Working with a Business Services provider can be a great way to improve your application or help you run a stronger and more resilient business. Small businesses who benefitted from these services during the course of a loan application tend to have a higher loan application success rate than comparable other small businesses without such support.
Some examples of Technical Assistance services offered by partners on our platform:
- Accounting & Cash Flow Management support
- Marketing / Sales support
- Human Resources and Management services
- Business Plan support
- And much more…
Additional Resources
1. Being matched with a CDFI is not a guarantee for products or services
CDFI matching services offered through this Small Business Resource Navigator are made possible by a donation from Wells Fargo to Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF), whose mission is to improve lives and strengthen communities through innovative financial solutions. In 2017, CRF launched Connect2Capital, a first-of-its kind online network that brings small business owners together with mission-driven lenders and traditional financial institutions.
CRF is not a subsidiary or affiliate of Wells Fargo, and maintains full discretion over the Small Business Resource Navigator. Connect2Capital is a registered trademark of Community Reinvestment Fund, USA. All other marks belong to their owners.
© 2023 Community Reinvestment Fund, USA