Creative Business Loan Fund
In partnership with Bridgeway Capital, Rising Tide Community Loan Fund, and Community First Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is pleased to make available the Creative Business Loan Fund. This fund provides $2.6 million in the form of affordable, flexible financing to small, creative businesses across the commonwealth.
Inspiration for creation of this fund stemmed from the PCA's awareness of a growing need for financial support for creative small businesses, which are important drivers of employment and economic vibrancy. Creative, for-profit businesses add to the state's economic activity and, if supported, will be positioned to play a critical role in helping Pennsylvania's cities and towns recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic.
Loan Fund Management
The fund is managed by Bridgeway Capital, Rising Tide Community Loan Fund, and Community First Fund, each holding a defined percentatge of responsibility for deploying available loan capital and providing small business technical assistance in their respective regions.
What is a creative business?
Under the program's definition, creative businesses include craft manufacturers, arts schools, architecture, design and fabrication firms, media companies, and visual and performing arts production agencies.
Eligibility
The fund prioritizes creative businesses:
- Located in low-income communities;
- Owned by Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) individuals or serving a diverse market; and
- Those located in small towns and rural communities.
Eligible Loan Uses
Eligible loan uses include: working capital; equipment purchases; renovations to retail, production, or office space; and, in limited cases, building acquisitions. Loan amounts vary, ranging from a few thousand dollars to an average loan size of $110,000, though larger requests are considered.
How to Apply
Interested applicants in the following counties must apply to the program through
Bridgeway Capital's Creative Business Loan Fund: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Hundington, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Somerset, Venango, Warren, Washington, and Westmoreland.
Interested applicants in the following counties must apply to the program through Rising Tide Community Loan Fund: Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Upper Bucks.
Interested applicants in the following counties must apply to the program through
Community First Fund's loan application page: Adams, Berks, Bradford, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lower Bucks, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montgomery, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, Wyoming, and York.
For general questions about the Creative Business Loan Fund, contact Sarah Merritt, Director of Pennsylvania Creative Communities and the Creative Economy via
email.
About the Creative Business Loan Fund Partners
Both Bridgeway Capital and Community First Fund are nonprofit community development financial institutions (CDFIs) with track records of making investments that benefit low-income individuals and communities in Pennsylvania.
CDFIs are community institutions certified by the U.S. Treasury that provide financial products and services to their communities. CDFIs provide services beyond those typically offered by conventional lenders, including community outreach programs, business resources, and financial counseling.