The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) offer a variety of financing programs for companies. Rural Development focuses on loan guarantees, grants and direct loans; SBA offers lending, guaranty and equity investment programs.
SBA's finance programs enhance the ability of lenders to provide long- and short-term loans to small businesses that might not qualify through normal lending channels. There are four basic types of SBA lending, guaranty and equity investment programs available:
