How The Government Can Help Your Small Business
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Since the SBA has formed partnerships with third-party lenders, community development organizations, and microlending institutions, these third-party partners will then be able to directly provide you with loans and other forms of financial assistance. This setup is basically similar to procuring a commercial loan, but it is easier and more efficient because the SBA will serve as your guarantor, meaning it will assure the third-party partner that you have the capability of repaying the loan and that you will, without a doubt, repay it.

The Bonding Program, also known as the SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee (SBG) Program, can help small business contractors obtain surety bonds by way of standard commercial channels. To understand this better, a small business owner should first know what a surety bond is.

A surety bond is an agreement between a surety (someone who agrees to assume responsibility for the debt of the primary borrower in cases wherein the borrower fails to assume his or her responsibilities), a small business contractor and a project owner.

Through the SBG program, the SBA will enter into an agreement with a surety stipulating that the SBA will take responsibility for a percentage of loss in the event that the primary borrower fails to adhere to the terms of the loan agreement.

The Venture Capital Program, on the other hand, was designed to work through the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program wherein the SBA could indirectly provide venture capitals to small businesses and small business owners.

Small Business Investment Companies are privately-owned and managed investment funds that are licensed and regulated by the SBA. These companies could help small businesses by providing them with funds in the form of debt or equity, just like venture capital, private equity and private debt funds. However, they differ in a way that SBICs will only restrict their investments to eligible small business concerns that are defined by the SBA.

If you wish to know more about the programs and functions of the SBA, you can visit their website at http://www.sba.gov/.

How The Government Can Help Your Small Business
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About The Author Iola Bonggay is an editor of TopGovernmentGrants.com one the the most comprehensive Websites offering information on government grants and federal government programs. She also maintains Websites providing resources on environmental grants and grants for youth programs.

Additional Resources

category - Small Business Grants

Small Business Innovation Research Phase IIB Bridge Awards
In line with this mission, the NIH has recently constituted the Small Business Innovation Research Phase IIB Bridge Awards to Accelerate the Development of Cancer Therapeutics, Imaging Technologies, Interventional Devices, Diagnostics, and Prognostics Toward Commercialization Program.

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Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance
The Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance Program is designed to decrease the number of disadvantaged micro-entrepreneurs by helping them enhance their management capabilities, by way of providing them with technical assistance and training in the areas concerning activities that are associated with starting, expanding and growing their businesses.

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Historically Underutilized Business Zones - HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program
The Small Business Administration has established the Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) Empowerment Contracting Program wherein they aim to provide federal contracting assistance to eligible small business corporations which are located in underutilized business zones so as to improve their employment opportunities, investments, and their area's economic development.

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Department of Agriculture: Value Added Producer Grants
The Value-Added Producer Grants program is geared towards helping the Independent Producers of Agricultural Commodities, Agriculture Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, and Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures in developing techniques that would create marketing opportunities and establish business plans involving viable marketing opportunities that involve the production of bio-based products from agricultural commodities.

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