Fund your Washington, D.C. business

When your own money is not enough, start with an advisor, then read which program actually lends. The DC SBDC advises. It does not lend. District Capitalized names the lenders. Robust Retail is a grant to a retail business with a District location, and its last round has closed.

What’s different in Washington, D.C.

• One-on-one advising is free. The DC SBDC’s consulting page lists no-cost confidential counseling³, and the Department of Small and Local Business Development says the SBDC provides free one-on-one management assistance¹.
• The named small loans come from lenders, with District support behind them. DSLBD supports the loans with a loan-loss reserve. The lenders make the loans⁴.
• A retail grant pays the business. It is not startup cash for every new company. It needs a retail location, and the round its page links to has closed.
• The SBA office also serves nearby Maryland and Virginia. The District’s office is the Washington Metropolitan Area District Office. It covers the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, and Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church in Virginia⁹.

Do this

1. Write down what you need and what it is for. A loan from the lenders below is for a business the lender will underwrite. A Robust Retail grant, when a round is open, is for the uses on that page. A disaster loan is a separate SBA application.
2. Book advising. The DC SBDC is where you ask for an advisor. Its consulting page lists no-cost confidential counseling³, and DSLBD’s description says the consulting is free one-on-one management assistance, for District of Columbia small businesses, owners, managers, and people starting a business. DSLBD calls the training affordable training¹, and neither page prints a class price.* Ask what a class costs before you sign up.
3. Use the SBA office. The Washington Metropolitan Area District Office offers funding programs, counseling, federal contracting certifications, and disaster recovery. It covers the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, and Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church in Virginia⁹.
4. Understand who lends the regular SBA loans. 7(a) and the other ordinary SBA loans come from participating lenders, not the SBA. The SBA loans guide explains who makes each kind.
5. Read District Capitalized before you assume the District will lend to you directly. The program page says DSLBD supports the loans with a loan-loss reserve. The lenders make the loans. The ranges it prints are $500 to $7,500, from Life Asset, and $5,000 to $50,000, from the Latino Economic Development Center or Wacif⁴. The program list also names no-barrier crowdfunding loans through the DC Kiva Hub, which DSLBD operates, and lines of credit from City First Enterprises, funded by DSLBD⁵. The DC Kiva Hub page puts Kiva loans at $1,000 to $15,000, repaid at 0% interest over 12 to 36 months, with no fees⁶. The BLOC line does not print a maximum on the District’s pages.* Ask the program for the cap before you plan around a number. Training on the program page covers loan applications and credit. It does not print a class price.* Ask before you sign up.
6. Read Robust Retail if you are a retailer. The grant page says the program pays the business, for storefront and interior work, equipment, inventory, marketing, e-commerce, operations, and expansion. It is for DC retail businesses, including restaurants, cafes, salons, fitness studios, markets, bookstores, and neighborhood service providers. The page links the FY26 notice, which offered up to 50 grants of up to $10,000 each, from $500,000 in total. Applications ran December 1, 2025 to January 20, 2026, so that round is closed. It was open to a for-profit, independent retail business that deals with customers directly, with fewer than 25 full-time employees and a DC-licensed retail location. Home-based and online-only businesses and nonprofits were not eligible⁸. For the next round, the grant page says to keep monitoring DSLBD communications and program announcements for future funding opportunities and application periods⁷. Past awards are not a promise that a new business will be funded.
7. Keep your paperwork ready. Lenders and advisors ask for your formation documents and EIN. Register your business and Get your tax IDs.
8. After a declared disaster, the SBA can lend directly. Disaster assistance covers physical damage loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, and Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loans. An Economic Injury Disaster Loan is available only when the SBA decides the business cannot get credit elsewhere¹⁰. A disaster by itself does not qualify you. Check the declaration and the loan type before you apply.

What you get back

An appointment with an advisor, and help preparing what a lender asks for. A loan decision on the Life Asset, LEDC, or Wacif ranges comes from that lender. A Kiva or BLOC decision comes from that program. A Robust Retail decision comes only in a round the department opens. An SBA disaster loan, if you qualify, is a decision from the SBA. These pages do not promise a finished plan or an approval.