Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ | Direct Lending FAQ | Recursos en Español

General FAQ

There are a number of factors to consider when identifying if a business is eligible for one of our loan programs. We ask that you fill out this interactive form and one of our team members will be in touch with next steps based on your answers. If you’re not a potential fit, then we will do our best to direct you to other community resources.

Yes. We offer several loan programs that help businesses at various stages finance a wide range of needs. Our loan programs range from $20,000 up to $5.5 million with rates no higher than 12.00%. This includes smaller loans up to $350,000 from B:Side Fund in addition to SBA 504 and 7(a) financing. View more details about our programs about Direct Loans and SBA Loans.

We offer financing through the Colorado Revolving Loan Fund in partnership with the Office of Economic Development & International Trade, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Colorado Enterprise Fund, and Region 9 Economic Development. Loans are available up to $150,000 with interest rates at 10%. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us by using the chat function in the bottom right side of your screen or click here to download our fact sheet. For businesses located in a rural area, please contact Region 9 Economic Development. For businesses interested in borrowing over $150,000 or are a non-profit entity, please contact Colorado Enterprise Fund.

Have you been thinking about starting or restructuring a business? The Colorado Startup Loan Fund is here to help.

We’ve partnered with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to launch the Colorado Startup Loan Fund. This new program makes it easier for small business owners and entrepreneurs to access financing to start and grow your business. If you’ve had trouble securing a loan, need a smaller-than-average loan to get up and running, or haven’t borrowed money before, the Colorado Startup Loan Fund may be for you.

Let us guide you through the process to:

• Begin your journey

• Become your own boss

• Start the next chapter in your life

Get started by completing our brief eligibility check.

Fill out our brief eligibility check to assess potential eligibility. If you seem to be a good fit, an application or additional information will be requested via email. If you’re ineligible, we will follow up with additional resources to help you prepare for a future application. 

Certified Development Companies (CDCs) are nonprofit organizations that offer affordable financing to small businesses and are certified and regulated by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Our sister company, B:Side Capital, is a CDC and can facilitate the SBA 504 or 7a Loan Programs from application through servicing.

Our loan programs utilize different funding sources, as a result, the interest rate varies. Please see our Direct Loans and SBA Loans pages for more information. The term of a loan ranges from 3 years up to 25 years.

Our loans help finance a variety of business needs including:

• Start-up expenses

• Working capital

• Purchasing equipment, furniture, fixtures, inventory, vehicles (necessary to the operation of the business), leasehold improvements

• Buying a business or franchise

• Business debt refinancing

• Purchase, build or renovate owner-occupied real estate

Please see our Direct Loans and SBA Loans pages for the specifics on each program.

It depends on the loan program. For our SBA financing options, fees vary and will also depend on the lender you work with on the project. Please see our Direct Loans and SBA Loans pages for the specifics on each program.

For our microloans, we don’t charge any prepayment penalty fees. However, with our SBA financing options prepayment penalties may apply. If you wish to pay off your loan early, please contact our Servicing team at payoffs@bside.org.

Click here to visit the current borrower section of our website to learn more about loan payoffs, balance requests, and other general servicing actions.

Direct Lending FAQ

We have created a downloadable desk guide that includes all the details you need to know about applying. However, the very first step will be to fill out our brief eligibility check to see if you’re a potential fit for financing.

The direct lending program utilizes multiple funding sources, as a result, the interest rate varies based on the program. Please see our Direct Loans page for more information. The maximum term of a loan is 10 years.

• Working capital

• Purchasing equipment, furniture, fixtures and inventory

• Inventory

• Business acquisition

• Debt Refinance

  Please see our Direct Loan or SBA page for specifics uses on each program.

Are there any fees involved?

There are no upfront fees associated with a direct loan. A closing fee, plus any direct, out-of-pocket filing / recording costs, will be collected from loan proceeds at the time the loan funds. For the SBA Community Advantage loan program, a packaging fee may be applicable. Please see our Direct Loans page for the specifics on each program.

For our direct loans, we don’t charge any prepayment penalty fees.

However, prepayment penalties on SBA financing options may apply for terms longer than 10 years. If you wish to pay off your loan early, please contact our Servicing team at payoffs@bside.org

Recursos en Español

Tenemos una página en español que tiene toda la información sobre nuestro programa de préstamos y el proceso de solicitud. Obtenga más información AQUÍ y si tiene alguna pregunta, contáctenos en fund@bside.org.