About Valley Small Business Development Corporation
  
 

Valley Small Business Development Corporation (Valley) was started in 1981 as a nonprofit Financial and Business Development corporation under contract with the State of California and other government agencies to administer small business loan programs. Valley is headquartered in Fresno and services a nine-county (Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Kern, Kings, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne) investment area in California's Central San Joaquin Valley. Valley offers a range of loan products and technical assistance services to the small business community - direct loans range from $5,000 to $250,000, loan guarantees from $10,000 to $500,000, and SBA 504 fixed asset loans from $50,000 to $1.3 million.

Additionally, Valley was certified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in 2000. Through a collaborative effort with municipalities, local governmental agencies, ethnic chambers of commerce, business associations, and nonprofit community development groups, Valley has designed and implemented a variety of loan programs to meet the specialized financial needs of existing and emerging new small businesses in our service area.

To support our numerous loan programs, Valley provides a range of technical assistance services to the small business community and immigrant family farmers. These services include loan packaging, business consultation, operational review, and exploring financing options. Valley receives grants and financial resources from the Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Department of the Treasury - CDFI Fund, and other corporate funders to deliver this technical assistance to the small business community.

  
 
Services to the Community Enhancing Our Normal Lending Products
  
 
Valley Small Business Development Corporation enjoys a strong relationship with many different community partners. The community partners provide various levels of support in our continued efforts to improve the climate for the small business and microenterprise community located in the Central San Joaquin Valley.  
 
 
 
Citigroup Foundation - a grant to support our efforts in expanding rural microenterprise development, focusing on delivering technical assistance service to home-based microenterprises located in the unincorporated rural communities of Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties.  
 
 
 
City of Fresno - Hometown Entrepreneurial Loan Program (HELP) - a revolving loan program between the City of Fresno Economic Development Department and Valley. The loan program was capitalized through a pool of funds from five financial institutions and a grant was received from the five financial institutions to support the operational costs of the loan program. The loan program is a source of financing for small businesses located within the City of Fresno, with a focus on small businesses located in certain zones - "Empowerment Zone", "Enterprise Zone", and/or "HUB Zone".  
 
 
 
Comerica Bank - a grant to assist in the development and expansion of the African American Coalition for Capital Access, a "peer-based" revolving loan program and technical assistance program focused on low-to-moderate income census tracts in the Central San Joaquin Valley.  
 
 
 
County of Tulare - Microenterprise Loan Program - a professional services contract to provide microenterprise assistance services to low-income persons located in the unincorporated communities of Tulare County. The microenterprise assistance services include pre-loan workshops, technical assistance, providing microloans to qualified applicants, and assisting small businesses to expand.  
 
 
 
Union Bank of California Foundation - a 2-year grant to provide operational support of the African American Coalition for Capital Access. This is a Revolving Loan Program that finances small businesses located and serving low-to-moderate income populations. With the participation of local volunteers, all loan requests are reviewed and approved by members of the small business community.  
 
 
 
Wells Fargo Bank Foundation - a number of grants that support our development and implementation of a regional small business revolving loan program (RLP) for the Central San Joaquin Valley. In partnership with ethnic chambers of commerce, the RLP focuses on providing a source of flexible capital to start-ups and underserved small businesses.  
 
 
 
Wells Fargo Community Development Group - an Equity Equivalent Investment (EQ2) to capitalize revolving loan programs (RLP). WFB has loaned VSBDC $2,000,000.00 to capitalize these RLPs. The RLPs will be developed in partnership with ethnic chambers of commerce and business associations. The goal of the RLPs is to provide a "quasi-peer-based" financing sources, where loan decision making utilizes members of the small business community. Currently, there are three ethnic chambers of commerce participating in the RLP. Valley is in discussions with another interested four chambers of commerce.  
 
Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Management and Administration
  
 

Valley Small Business Development Corporation has been providing "direct" loans in addition to "guaranteed loans" for Seventeen (17) of the Twenty-Five (25) years that we've been in business. Beginning in 1990 with direct farm loans, adding SBA Micro Loans in 1993, USDA IRP Loans in 1995 and so on up to the present day when we now have and provide direct lending through the many programs detailed on our website.

As a result of this experience and the capabilities we've built, as well as the successes we've enjoyed in our direct lending activities, we are continually contacted by various municipalities, agencies, and organizations to create, manage, and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) in their name and on their behalf.

We currently provide this infrastructure and experience to fifteen (15) different cities, and eight (8) ethnic Chambers of Commerce from Sacramento to San Diego. These services include underwriting, documenting, funding, and servicing loans in their names and/or on their behalf.

For additional details please contact our CEO, Mike Foley.

  
 
City of Fresno HELP (Hometown Entrepreneurial Loan Program)
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $50,000;
Interest Rate - Variable Rate Loans priced at Prime Rate +2.75%; term up to 5 years; and loan fees of $300, doc fees, plus out-of-pocket expenses. Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. Small business must be located in the City of Fresno.		  
 
Five Cities Revolving Loan Program
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $25,000;
Interest Rate - Variable Rate Loans priced at Prime Rate + 2.75%; term between 2 - 6 years; and fees of 2% plus out-of pocket expenses. Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and small businesses. Must be located in the rural communities of Selma, Reedley, Parlier, Kingsburg, and Fowler.
  
 
I-5 Business Corridor Loan Program
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $25,000;
Interest Rate - Variable Rate Loans priced at Prime Rate + 1%; term between 2 - 5 years; and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses. Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. Must be located in the rural communities of Kerman, Biola, Coalinga, Huron, and Tranquility.
  
 
City of Selma RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $25,000;
Interest Rate - Variable Rate Loans priced at Prime Rate +2.75%; term between 2 - 6 years; and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses. Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. Small business must be located in the city of Selma.
  
 
City of Huron RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $50,000;
Interest Rate - Variable Rate Loans priced at Prime Rate +2.75%; term between 2 - 6 years; and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses. Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. Small business must be located in the city of Huron.
  
 
City of Firebaugh RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $25,000;
Interest Rate - Variable Rate Loans priced at Prime Rate +2.75%; term between 2 - 6 years; and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses. Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. Small business must be located in the city of Firebaugh.
  
 
City of Orange Cove RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $250,000;
Interest Rate - Variable Rate Prime Rate +1%, term between 2 - 15 years, and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses; Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. Small business must be located in the city of Orange Cove.
  
 
CHAMBER/COMMUNITY-BASED REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS
  
 
Fresno Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $50,000;
Interest Rate - Fixed Rate 9.5%, term between 2 - 4 years, and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses; Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. May be a member of the chamber of commerce.

  
 
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Stanislaus County RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $50,000;
Interest Rate - Fixed Rate 9.5%, term between 2 - 4 years, and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses; Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. May be a member of the chamber of commerce.
  
 
Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $25,000;
Interest Rate - Fixed Rate 9.5%, term between 2 - 4 years, and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses; Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. May be a member of the chamber of commerce.
  
 
African American Coalition for Capital Access RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $35,000;
Interest Rate - Fixed Rate 9.5%, term between 2 - 4 years, and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses; Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses.
  
 
Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $50,000;
Interest Rate - Fixed Rate 9.5%, term between 2 - 4 years, and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses; Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses. May be a member of the chamber of commerce.
  
 
Fresno Center for New Americans RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $50,000;
Interest Rate - Fixed Rate 9.5%, term between 2 - 4 years, and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses; Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses.		  
 
Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce RLF
Size of Loans - Min. $5,000 - Max. $50,000;
Interest Rate - Fixed Rate 9.5%, term between 2 - 4 years, and fees of 2% plus out-of-pocket expenses; Profile of Borrowers - Microenterprises, start-ups, and existing small businesses.