USDA Business & Industry
The United States Department of Agriculture Business & Industry (USDA B&I) Guaranteed loan program is designed to finance most needs of small businesses located in an eligible rural area.
Despite the “agriculture” reference, this program’s emphasis is truly on “business and industry.” It seeks to serve for-profit businesses, non-profit and cooperative businesses, federally recognized Tribes, and other public bodies.
Recipients may use USDA B&I loan funds to:
- Purchase and develop commercial, owner-occupied real estate
- Purchase equipment, leasehold improvements, machinery, supplies, or inventory
- Enable business conversion, enlargement, repair, modernization, or development
- Acquire a business to prevent the business from closing and thus save jobs
- Create jobs
- Refinance debt (new jobs creation and other conditions required)
USDA Community Facilities
The United States Department of Agriculture Community Facilities (USDA CF) loan program is used to develop essential community facilities in rural areas.
As its name implies, an “essential community facility” provides essential services for the orderly development of a primarily rural local community (defined as less than 20,000 residents according to the last federal census). In the USDA definition, such a facility would not include private, commercial, or business undertakings.
Borrowers include public entities, community-based non-profit corporations, and federally-recognized Tribes.
- CF can be used to purchase, construct and/or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment, and pay related project expenses
- Terms are based on the useful life of the facility or equipment, up to a maximum 40 years
- Loans are low-interest direct from the USDA and the rate is fixed for the life of the loan
- The rate is determined by the median household income of the service area and population of the community
- There are no pre-payment penalties
EB-5 Loan Program
EB-5 is a federal loan program designed to stimulate our nation’s economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors.
The EB-5 is a win/win, both for borrower and foreign investor.
The benefit to the borrower is a source of funds for their project.
The benefit to the foreign investor is that—once the project fulfills the job creation requirement—they can obtain permanent residency.
The EB-5 program’s projects are very diverse. They include:
- Mixed use retail
- Hotels
- Sports stadiums
- Restaurants
- Convention centers
- Electric vehicles
- Manufacturing
- Biotech/medical technologies
- Entertainment venues
- Agricultural developments (e.g., wineries and farms)
- And office buildings (to name a few!)
Pennsylvania Incentives and Tax Credits
Pennsylvania offers a variety of tax incentives, credits and programs to eligible Pennsylvania residents and businesses. These tax credits, economic development programs refund/rebate opportunities and incentive programs provide economic assistance and tax reductions to individual and business taxpayers.
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