SSBCI
State Small Business Credit Initiative
Established in 2010 by the Small Business Jobs Act and funded by the U.S. Department of Treasury, the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) is now in its second iteration with an anticipated allocation of nearly $202 million to North Carolina from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The NC Rural Center has managed funding from SSBCI since the program's inception.
We operate two indirect lending programs under SSBCI - the Loan Participation Program and the Capital Access Program, and one equity program, the NC Venture Capital Program. These three programs are regulated and designed to work with community banks, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and investment managers in all 100 North Carolina counties.
Loan Participation
The Loan Participation Program partners with CDFIs, credit unions, and banks to offer qualified entrepreneurs larger loans with better terms than they may normally get. This is our largest program within SSBCI.
Capital Access
The Capital Access Program provides additional loan loss reserves to institutional lenders for business loans that they enroll.
NC Venture Capital
The NC Venture Capital Program, branded as NC Invest, has partnered with venture capital firms from throughout the nation to invest in early-stage, high-growth small businesses in North Carolina.
Small business capital
Are you a small business looking for capital? Small businesses and entrepreneurs cannot access SSBCI funds directly through these programs. Our programs work with institutional lenders - such as CDFIs, MDIs, and banks - and venture funds. If you are seeking a business loan from a bank or other lender, we encourage you to ask if SSBCI programs can be used to strengthen your request.
