Fund your Colorado business

When your own money is not enough, start with an advisor, then ask what a lender or a state program can do. The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) publishes the state’s small-business credit programs. The SBA backs loans that lenders make.

What’s different in Colorado

• One SBA district for the whole state. It is based at 721 19th St., Suite 426, Denver, CO 80202.
• The SBDC network sits with OEDIT. The page describes partners and SBA funding. It does not print a price.
• SSBCI is lending and investment, not a grant you apply for at a website. The allocation, the program approvals, and the amount already spent are three different numbers.

Do this

1. Write down what you need and what it is for. Equipment, inventory, and rent are different asks, and programs are sorted by use.
2. Talk to an advisor. The Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a network of business experts for new and existing businesses. Support is the state, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the SBA, colleges, local economic-development groups, and chambers of commerce. The page does not state a fee.* Ask when you contact a center. The SBA’s Colorado District Office offers funding programs, counseling, federal contracting certifications, and disaster recovery.
3. Understand who lends. SBA loans come from participating lenders, not a check from the district office. The SBA loans guide explains who makes each kind.
4. Read OEDIT’s SSBCI page before you chase a grant. The page says no grants. The money is loans, collateral support, and venture capital. The programs named there are the Venture Capital Authority, the CLIMBER fund, and Cash Collateral Support. You reach the loan programs through a participating lender, not by mailing OEDIT a grant form.
5. Keep the dollar figures apart. The allocation is approximately $104.7 million, in three tranches over seven years. On top of that sentence, the page says $59 million approved for the Venture Capital Authority, $10M approved for the CLIMBER direct lending and participation programs, and $35M approved for Cash Collateral Support. Through the second quarter of 2026, $39.9 million expended or obligated through the second quarter of 2026. None of those sentences says the others are included in it or left over from it.* Use the figure that matches the question you are asking, and read the page for the current remainder.
6. Keep your paperwork ready. Lenders and advisors ask for formation documents and an EIN: Register your business and Get your tax IDs.
7. After a disaster, the SBA lends directly. SBA disaster assistance is the SBA loan you apply for from the SBA itself.

What you get back

A plan from an advisor, and a loan offer from a lender with its rate, term, and collateral. Any state program that backs the loan is between the lender and the program.