Ongoing and Year Round Resources in TX

A number of free grants, loans, mentoring and other MWBE and veteran services operate year round in Texas. Find details below, by city, region and category. Also continue to scroll down for more financial assistance programs.

Statewide Texas MWBE financial aid programs

Gardner Capital is partnering with Kiva to provide 0% APR loans to BIPOC businesses in the Dallas and Houston area.  The loans are peer to peer, crowdfunding type programs that can help small businesses get the capital they need. Kiva operates as a worldwide non-profit that provides interest free loans to small business owners and start ups. Learn more. https://www.gardnercapital.com/alternative-investments-fund/

Grameen America provides micro-loans to women owned businesses and entrepreneurs in Texas. they focus on females who live in very low-income area, women who live in poverty, immigrants, and even single moms. There are offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The financial assistance is combined with matched saving accounts, networking and other support. Learn more about the non-profit microloans and the offices in Texas. https://www.grameenamerica.org/blog/2022/2/1/grameen-america-expands-impact-in-texas-launches-new-branches-in-dallas-and-san-antonio-with-goal-to-support-1000-businesswomen-of-color-in-first-year

Kiva Microloans are offered across the state. While funding varies, a qualified business can raise up to $15,000 for starting a business or growing or saving their existing business. It is a peer to peer funding source in which donors from across the world can help fund the loan. They focus on disadvantaged businesses, including immigrants in Texas, minority (Black, Latino, etc.), LGBTQ, female and others.

Kiva has local groups. In Harris County and Houston Texas is supported by Bayou Microfund. They help the unbanked and others. Learn more https://bayoumicrofund.org/. Dallas Texas is covered by the non-profit Impact Ventures, and they offer interest free Kiva loans. Read more. https://impact-ventures.co/. Another option is Startup Waco is a regional non-profit. Free mentoring, assistance for sole-proprietors, and other loans and funds are offered. Get details on their assistance programs. https://startupwaco.com/. Legacy Institute for Financial Education provides Kiva loans in the Lufkin Texas region as well as credit builder loans, financial education, LIFE Tech classes and more.  More. https://www.legacy-institute.org/

MassChallenge Texas is a business accelerator that operates across TX. Free coaching, including for MWBE businesses, pitch contents, start-up assistance, applications to grant money and other support is offered. They partner with many corporations and non-profits to help women, minorities and others start a business. https://masschallenge.org/news/masschallenge-expands-texas/

PeopleFund is a statewide CDFI helps disadvantaged people start and/or grow a business.  The focus of the loans, grants, and free or low cost services is on veteran’s, women, and people of color in TX. There is BIPOC business accelerators, veteran programs, “FlashFunds” and more. Find details here. https://peoplefund.org/

Prison Entrepreneurship Program offers a number of programs to people who are leaving the prison system, with a focus on the Dallas and Houston areas. PEP tries to help ex-prisoners start a business, acquire new skills around entrepreneurship and get other support. The non-profit also works with corporations to help. They also help arrange financing in the form of 0% interest loans (with Kiva), and many of the resources are focused on the larger number of minorities in the  system. Programs include Earned Income Ventures, Communitas Business Centers, Business Plan Competition and more. Learn more here. https://www.pep.org/

Texas Women’s Foundation (TXWF) is about empowering women, including business owners. They offer leadership classes, information on job training, as well as entrepreneurship assistance (among other services). The non-profit also has an evolving number of grant programs to help women start or grow a business or address other needs. Read more on the non-profit TXWF. https://txwf.org/

Amarillo, Lubbock, and western/NW Texas loans and grant programs

PeopleFund is a non-profit lender that is part of the Community Development Financial Institution financial program. They help disadvantaged businesses, which include owners with bad credit or a low-income, get the capital they need. Another focus is on veteran, minority and women owned businesses. Everything from free grants or low-cost loans, free business training or development workshops and more is offered. Learn more here. https://peoplefund.org/

Austin region and surrounding counties MWBE programs

Austin and Travis County small businesses can turn to a non-profit known as Just Community. The non-profit was founded by venture capitalists that give microloans to small businesses, including borrowers with limited or bar credit. Most of the financial assistance goes to women owned companies, including Black women and Latina businesses.  They also fund businesses owned by low income residents of Austin Texas. Corporations and individuals help Just support women and minority owned businesses. Learn more https://www.hellojust.com/

Austin Community Foundation helps minority, in particular minority, women, Hispanic and Black men and women owned businesses. They have grant programs, coaching and a charity part that helps businesses start and expand. Many of their programs are run in partnership with corporations, such as Google, the employment company Indeed, Dell computer and others. Learn about financial assistance programs such as the Black Fund, Hispanic Impact Grant Fund and Women Business programs here. https://www.austincf.org/

Austin Area Urban League has a number of resources for minorities, immigrants and women. There is the Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Center, or E3CP. Free workshops, coaching, information on raising money for a businesses (grants or loans), and operational help is offered. Learn more on help for Black-owned businesses from Urban League. https://aaul.org/entrepreneurship-empowerment-center/

Dallas/Fort Worth and nearby area grants, loans, and business assistance programs

BCL of Texas (Dallas) is a lender that provides a number of assistance programs, including financial. They have Entrepreneurship Services, mentoring, classes, strategic planning workshops and so much more. Everything from accessing loans, grants, capital and more to starting or growing a business is offered by BCL. Read more here. https://bcloftexas.org/entrepreneurship

City of Dallas Small Business Center provides applications to microgrants, entrepreneurship programs, help for minority or veteran owned businesses as well as other support. the services are free and the goal is to help small to mid-sized businesses, as well as start ups, in the county. Learn more here. https://sourcedallas.org/

Dallas BUILDS, or the Broadening Urban Investment to Leverage Dallas, helps startups, existing small businesses, charities and non-profits. Hundreds of companies help operate it and pay for it. The program helps businesses of color, veterans, and women get the resources they need, whether it is financial help/free grants, workspaces, educational or training support and more. It is a free service. Apply here.  https://dallasbuilds.org/

Denton Texas area women-owned businesses can get help from the Texas Woman’s University Center for Women Entrepreneurs & Stoke Incubator Program. There are a number of services offered, including a co-work space, information on grants, mentoring, coaching, and much more. The goal is to help women owned businesses start as well as grow their companies. Read more. https://stokedenton.com/accelerateher-incubator-program

Flower Mound Women in Business helps women entrepreneurs, small businesses as well as non-profits in a number of ways.  They offer a number of programs that help women start of grow a business, including occasional grant programs. FMWIB also supports charities in the northern TX area that focus on helping women and girls, and learn about the non-profit here. https://www.fmwib.com/

Fort Worth underserved businesses and even non-profits, in particular those located in lower income areas, can get access to capital, low cost loans, and other support from CDFI Friendly Fort Worth. Various Community Development CDFIs, corporations, and banks are partnering together to provide financial aid, low cost or interest free loans, counseling and more. Underserved includes people of color, LGBTQ, veteran, and other minority or women owned businesses. Learn more. https://www.cdfifriendlyfortworth.org/

Impact Ventures helps businesses in Northern Texas, including Dallas, Plano, Frisco, and the entire area.  The company provides funds for women and minority owned businesses and other disadvantaged businesses (LGBTQ, Veteran, Immigrant, etc.). Free coaching, mentoring, business development and other assistance programs are run too. Learn more. https://impact-ventures.co/

Smith County and Tyler TX is supported by the Women’s Fund of Smith County. The volunteer driven philanthropic organization will often have grants for women owned businesses, with most of the money for non-profits. The Fund will target its grants on organizations that help address causes of women and kids. Learn more here. https://womensfundsc.org/

Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center of Dallas TX helps (as the name implies) veteran businesses that are women owned, whether Latina, White, Black or any ethnicity. They have occasional grant programs, a center to use for research and educational lessons, mentorship and more. Find details on the center here. https://veteranwomensec.org/

El Paso Texas area MWBE grants, interest free loans and business resources

ACCELERATE El Paso is a partnership of various non-profits, including Aspen Institute’s Latinos and Society and Drexel University. They work to provide information on financial aid and grants to minority businesses, including government loans or grants for technology. ACCELERATE El Paso also encourages shopping locally, digital skills development, and other business help. More here. https://acceleratelpaso.com/

Houston area MWBE grants, loans, and programs for small businesses

The Houston based Empresarios Latinos Foundation (Chamber of Latino Entrepreneurs of Houston (CELH)) focuses on existing businesses in Houston and Harris County. Many companies are part of the organization, including restaurants, grocery stores, marketing companies, retail and more. They can serve as a resource for raising capital or financial aid, including from loans or grants. More details here. https://empresarioslatinos.org/

Houston MBDA Business Center assists minorities and under-represented in the community, including women, LGTBQ+ and people of color. There is help with applying for grants or loans, procurement assistance as well as women/minority/veteran owned certification programs and free consulting. A focus is to help minorities start and grow their business. Learn about the Centers services in Harris County. https://www.hccs.edu/hcc-in-the-community/entrepreneurial-initiatives/mbda/

Houston Business Ecosystem Alliance for Minorities & Women, or BEAMW, focuses on entrepreneurs, small businesses, as well as start-up companies in Harris County. They help with networking, applications to microloans, credit building activities, loans or financing for owners with poor credit, as well as finding free government grants. It is a network in the region that wants to help MWBE start and/or grow. Learn about the government affiliated non-profit. https://www.beamw.org/

Houston Fund for Social Justice and Economic Equity provides a number of programs to help small, minority businesses and those with bad credit in Houston. They have grant programs in partnership with banks such as Wells Fargo, youth focused non-profits, and organizations that focus on income equality of businesses owned by people of color. Get details here. https://houstonequityfund.org/

San Antonio assistance programs for minority, veteran and women owned businesses

Culturingua provides 0%, interest free loans to businesses owned by people of Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian decent. The non-profit is a Kiva lender. There is also a free entrepreneurship training as well as small business accelerator program. Other small business assistance programs are offered in Bexar County. Learn more here. https://www.culturingua.com/

San Antonio MBDA Business Center has a wide range of services for minorities, women, businesses in low-income areas and other disadvantaged companies. They help start-ups and small businesses find and apply for loans and grants. There is also MWBE certification, market research, details on getting government contracts and other financial support. Learn more here. https://sanantoniombdacenter.com/service-area/

Texas State University Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) provides assistance to minority-owned businesses as well as entrepreneurs. The main program is known as SCALEUP, or Sustainable Cultivation & Advancement of Local Enterprises for Underserved Populations. There is information on applying for grants, mentoring, free business workshops and more. https://innovation.txst.edu/Programs-F/ScaleUP0.html

 

By Jon McNamara