State Small Business Credit Initiative  announced that earlier this year, the State of Florida secured nearly half a billion dollars in loan funding specifically targeted for Florida small businesses and entrepreneurs. $142 million dollars of the total $488 million is available right now to fuel small business growth, and we need your help in getting the word out.  

The Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) is administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity with goal of promoting small business lending, supporting small business growth within Florida, and creating jobs that support families and build strong economies. SSBCI can help businesses in any industry access credit for any business purpose even if they don’t have much collateral, are in a rural area, are very small, or new.  

There are several loan options available to meet the needs of the individual businesses, including:  

Collateral Support Program: Enables financing that otherwise might be unavailable due to collateral shortfall.  

Loan Participation Program: Supports a private loan by either acting as a companion loan or purchasing a portion of a loan already made by the private lender.  

Loan Guarantee Program: Guarantees a loan or line-of-credit for eligible small businesses.  

*Note: Not all lenders will have each loan type available and final lending decisions are based on the lender’s criteria.   

Share this information with your community. For additional questions about SSBCI or need information on how to find a participating lender, please reach out to us at the contact information below. 

Thank you,  

Clarissa Branch 
State Small Business Credit Initiative  

904-236-1166 

clarissa.branch@deo.myflorida.com