Access Small Business Program

We build funds to support the big dreams of small businesses

Addressing credit gaps across the US

Access to affordable credit is key to creating an inclusive, diverse, and more equitable economy. The Access Small Business program by Calvert Impact leverages funds from the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to bring access to capital and technical assistance to historically un- and under-banked small businesses across participating states as well as access to capital markets for community lenders.

The Access program builds on the successful implementation of our recovery funds structure to reach and deploy capital to small business owners.

The program is currently live and administering SSBCI-supported Loan Participation Programs in four states:

Calvert Impact works in close partnership with Community Reinvestment Fund and Grow America, two national CDFI small business lenders, to execute the Access Program. The Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs Alternatives is supporting the private capital needs of the program through a $140 million warehouse facility.

The design and development of the Access program was originally made possible by grants from the Citi Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation, which supported Calvert Impact and its program partners to build out a new community finance tool that enables state governments to leverage the expertise of community lenders to reach hard-to-serve small businesses.

Validity Construction - from Battleborn Growth Fund In Las Vegas, a small business owner in the construction industry is using a loan from the Battle Born Growth Microloan Program (BBGMP) to grow his business. Zain Burke, CEO and owner of Validity Construction Services, was in search of a loan to help the business expand into the government sector. After meeting with traditional lenders who “overpromised and underdelivered,” Zain was relieved to be referred by a friend to Community Reinvestment Fund, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) who told him about the Battleborn Growth Microloan Program.

"Know your numbers. If you know you want to grow, just try, and someone will be there to support you every step of the way.” – Zain Burke, CEO, Validity Construction Services

Interested in launching a state fund with Access?

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Benefits of the Access Program

Focuses on and serves socially and economically disadvantaged (SEDI) business owners The program was designed to serve business owners from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds – a policy priority of the SSBCI program – and to date, more than 80 percent of businesses supported through Access Funds identify as SEDI businesses.
Supports a broad network of participating community lenders The program works with community lenders of all sizes – including CDFIs, credit unions, and MDIs – to support their ability to originate more loans in the communities they serve. It provides them with an additional source of liquidity and client acquisition while reducing challenges with data collection and reporting.

Participating Lenders

Frequently Asked Questions

What role do CDFIs play in the Access Small Business Program model?

The Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) industry has operated for more than 40 years to provide access to financial services in under-resourced communities across the country. There are nearly 1,200 CDFIs across the U.S. that provide a variety of products and services to address structural gaps in our financial system. The CDFIs and other community lenders involved in the Access Program serve small businesses and nonprofits with affordable, flexible capital and advisory services. As mission driven lenders, they prioritize helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses and enable local economic development through job creation, income generation, and wealth building opportunities.

How does the Access model work?

Each of the state-based Access Program funds is a centralized loan purchase facility capitalized by two sources: (i) funds awarded to the applicable state and allocated to the program via the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), and (ii) private capital secured by Calvert Impact. The programs allow participating lenders to increase their small business lending capacity by leveraging their balance sheets. For every $1 of a lender’s available funds, this program enables them to offer $5 of loan capital to a small business. The model combines affordable loan capital, technology platforms to support loan originations and sales, and technical assistance for business owners applying for credit. This holistic approach is designed to build local CDFI capacity so that community lenders can do what they do best in reaching more small businesses in underbanked communities.

Who are the other key partners involved in this program?

The participating community lenders lead the programs through loan originations and servicing as well as direct support to small businesses seeking advisory and affordable loan capital. We currently have 10 lenders originating loans across programs and are actively working to bring additional organizations into the model. It is anticipated that each state program will be active for several years, with additional lenders joining the program throughout.

Calvert Impact is the arranger of the funds, focusing on structuring the financial vehicles and coordinating participation across lenders, state partners, and other program stakeholders. Calvert Impact Capital is not a lender in the funds. Grow America and Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF) act as fund administrators and partnered with Calvert Impact on the development of the model which expands on the pandemic recovery funds launched by the cohort over the last several years. CRF, a national CDFI, also built and runs the online marketplace, CRF Connect, that is used to connect small businesses seeking capital with the participating lenders, as well as CRF Exchange, the platform that facilitates the purchase and sale of loans between the lenders and the applicable fund. Both Grow America and CRF also lend in one or more state programs.

What types of businesses receive Access Program loans?

This model aims to expand access to affordable credit and business support for the smallest of small businesses and community-based nonprofits. While eligibility criteria differ in certain respects across state programs, the Access generally focuses on serving underbanked businesses and organizations with 50 or fewer FTE, gross revenues of less than $5 million a year, and those that been in operations for at least one year. To be eligible for a loan, the business or organization must operate in one of the states served – Nevada, New York, New Jersey, and Washington. We are currently working to expand the program to additional states, and interested partners should utilize the contact form on this webpage to initiate a conversation.

For more information on the small business loan terms and eligibility, please visit the Access program websites:

www.nvsmallbiz.org
www.nyloanfund.com
www.njeda.gov/njcapital-access-fund
www.smallbusinessflexfund.org

Calvert Impact Capital, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a subsidiary of Calvert Impact, Inc., offers the Community Investment Note. Calvert Impact Climate, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a subsidiary of Calvert Impact, Inc., offers the Cut Carbon Note. The Community Investment Note and Cut Carbon Note are subject to certain risks, are not mutual funds, are not FDIC or SIPC insured, and should not be confused with any Calvert Research and Management-sponsored investment product. The Community Investment Notes and the Cut Carbon Notes are debt securities subject to the terms, conditions and risks described in the current prospectus, prospectus supplement(s) and pricing supplements, as applicable, including risk of possible loss of the amount invested. Payment is dependent on the issuer’s financial condition at the time payment is due. Any decision to invest in these securities through this Site should only be made after reading the applicable prospectus, prospectus supplement(s) and pricing supplement or by calling 800-248-0337.

This is not an offer to sell you our securities and we are not soliciting you to buy our securities. The offering is made solely by the Prospectus. We will offer and sell our securities only in states where authorized.