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Best Small Business Loans for Women
Women own over 43% of small businesses in the U.S., but only 25% seek financing. Those who qualify often receive less money and pay higher interest rates. Our experts reviewed and ranked the best business loans for women from Kabbage, National Funding, Bluevine and others to help you get funded.
Reviewed by: Dahna Chandler, Award-Winning Business Finance Journalist and Brand Storyteller
Fact Checked by: Dr. JeFreda R. Brown, DBA, CFEI, and a highly respected financial expert
The country's 12.3 million women business owners employ more than 4 million and add about $1.8 trillion to the U.S. economy. While the future looks bright for all women, women entrepreneurs face difficulties when it comes to small business loans and lines of credit. There is still an enormous gender gap in the small business loan distribution and how this inequality has justified the creation of specific options for women entrepreneurs.
Women also typically don’t ask for as much financing as men do. When lenders approve their financing, they usually receive $5,000 less than their male counterparts.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on November 21, 2022, to assess our selection and ensure all loan products are up to date
Top 8 Small Business Loans for Women
- National Funding - Best For Expertise in Women-Owned Businesses
- Kabbage - Best for 24/7 Access to Loan Funds
- Bluevine - Best for Recently Launched Businesses
- Biz2Credit - Best for Commercial Real Estate
- Credibly - Best for SBA Loans
- Fora Financial - Best for Flexible Terms
- Fundbox - Best for Fixing Cash Flow Issues
- Funding Circle - Best for Multiple Funding Solutions
We've built a website where you can make financial decisions with confidence, evaluating 130+ different service providers. This article features the best 8 options on the market today. We take a look at a wide range of options, carefully considering the needs of different business owners, and the services and rates offered by lenders.
To do this, we spent hundreds of hours to compare financial options, and build alternatives so you feel empowered to make informed decisions. This comprehensive review doesn't just compare and contrast each lender, but we offer our recommendations, too, to help you find the best loan you need for your small business.
Finimpact is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test hundreds of financial services each year using thoughtful test methodology that bring out key differences between competing services. And, to assure complete independence, we even borrow funds to evaluate the financial services ourselves. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side analysis and comparison.
Best Small Business Loans for Women - Full Overview
National Funding - Best For Expertise in Women-Owned Businesses
With their high approval rates, personalized repayment options, and expertise in women-owned businesses, National Funding might be an ideal lender for women business owners. They offer small business loans, which include short-term business loans and, working capital loans, and equipment loans through a fast, easy, no-obligation application process. For small business loans, you can get funding as soon as one day after approval, but equipment loans take longer. While you won’t require collateral, you must personally guarantee the funds. You may prequalify online but you won’t won’t learn all the terms and conditions of their loan products without a complete application.
Reasons to get a loan
Reasons to avoid
The maximum equipment loan with National Funding is $150,000 with repayment terms of two to five years . The origination fees are 2% plus a one-time fee of between 17% - 36% of the loan total loan amount and you’ll pay back your loan on a monthly basis.
To qualify for an equipment loan, you’ll need a credit score of at least 600, at least six months in business, and $250,000 or more in annual revenue. The minimum credit score for other lending products is 600, and maximums, rates and terms depend on the product and your credit. They offer fast, easy, no fee applications for all products, but funding and origination fees depend on the product.
The Bottom Line
If you earn sufficient revenue and would like to get funding a National Funding loan products are worth considering. These experts in financing for women-owned businesses may put you on your desired business growth path.
Try National Funding
Read the full National Funding review for more details.
Kabbage Funding - Best for 24/7 Access to Loan Funds
Business owners with a fair credit score can apply for a Kabbage commercial line of credit. The lender bases eligibility and credit line decisions on the overall creditworthiness and financial profile of you and your business, including any history with American Express and other financial institutions. They charge monthly fees for each draw you take on your credit line, and each draw becomes a separate installment loan with separate fees. There are no origination fees, prepayment penalties, or fee payments if there is no outstanding balance. Not all industries are eligible for Kabbage Funding.
Reasons to get a loan
Reasons to avoid
With a personal credit score of 640, a 12 months in business, and a monthly revenue of $3K, you can apply for 6-, 12- or 18-month loans and get a line of Credit between $2,000 - $250,000. Apply online from your computer or mobile device in a few simple steps and get a credit decision quickly, in most cases. Each loan term has separate fees of 2-9% for 6-month loans, 7.5-18% for 12-month loans, and 15.75-27% for 18-month loans. Loan fees and terms depend on creditworthiness, and loans are secured by business assets. Kabbage Funding subjects lines of credit to periodic review and the lender may change or suspend them, accompanied with or without an account closure.
The Bottom Line
Kabbage lines of credit can have high monthly fees but are a solid option for women business owners with fair credit scores, a short time in business and low monthly revenue. You can take loans from your computer or mobile device 24/7, but those draws become separate installment loans with separate terms and fees, so consider that before applying.
Try Kabbage
Read the full Kabbage review for more details.
Bluevine - Best for Recently Launched Businesses
Bluevine is an online lender that offers revolving lines of credit for newer businesses. This company has less rigorous borrowing requirements than other lenders. That may make it ideal for women business owners with fair personal FICO® scores, limited monthly revenue, and shorter time in business. Bluevine also offers invoice factoring through FundThrough to businesses that don’t qualify for lines of credit. If yours is a corporation or LLC in good standing located in an eligible U.S. state, you may want to consider applying.
Reasons to get a loan
Reasons to avoid
BlueVine has many financing options that might be ideal for your women-owned business owners, with credit scores as low as 625 and no bankruptcies in the past year. You can apply in minutes without any impact on your credit score. You must be in business at least three months, have three months of bank statements, be incorporated or organized as an LLC, and have monthly revenue of $10,000 to apply. Lines of credit up to to $250,000 are available with repayment terms are 26 weeks or 12 months, depending on your qualifications, and rates start at 4.8%. Get a decision in five minutes and funding in 24 hours of approval.
The Bottom Line
With a fast application process and quick decisions and funding available, Bluevine offers convenient borrowing solutions if you need fast cash. You can apply with a fair credit score, but the APR and fees are high, so factor this into your decision with this lender.
Try Bluevine
Read more in the full Bluevine review more details.
Biz2Credit - Best for Commercial Real Estate
Biz2Credit is a business funding platform that matches small business owners with working capital, term loans, and commercial real estate, and provides guidance for entrepreneur borrowers, including those seeking small business loans for women. The platform offers loans to businesses of multiple types, and provides a funding specialist to guide you through the process.
Interest rates and fees vary depending upon credit worthiness, loan type, and other factors. But there are no hidden fees. You can apply and get funded quickly for working capital and term loans, but expect a longer approval time for CRE loans. Repayment options and terms vary depending on funding type.
Reasons to get a loan
Reasons to avoid
Biz2Credit can match you with the best-fit financing solutions for your business, including:
- Working capital loans
- Merchant cash advances
- Equipment financing
- Commercial real estate loans
- Business acquisition loans
- Refinancing
- SBA loans
Some loans require a minimum personal credit score of 660 or above. But they offer working capital loans with a minimum credit score of 575. With term loans, businesses can borrow between $25,000 and $500,000, starting at 7.99% with terms up to 36 months. Funding can be as quickly as 72 hours after approval and payments may be weekly, bi-monthly and monthly. Businesses can borrow from $25,000 to $2 million in working capital that get paid back from business receipts, so fees vary and payments can be daily, weekly, or bimonthly. Get commercial real estate loans starting at $250,000 up to $6 million with rates starting at 10%. These take 30 days to get approved, repayment is monthly on a 12-36 month term.
The Bottom Line
Biz2Credit offers loan products for multiple business purposes with easy applications, fast funding and guidance from a funding specialist throughout the process. While they make it simple to apply for funding that meets your needs here, it’s wise to compare their offerings with other lenders to make sure you’re getting the best offer.
Try Biz2Credit
Read the full Biz2Credit review for more details.
Credibly - Best for SBA Loans
Credibly is an alternative online lender that offers Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and other lending products like short-term business loans, merchant cash advances, invoice factoring, and business lines of credit. Credibly specializes in small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) that have a harder time finding funding with other lenders. With its lenient application requirements, you might even qualify with a bad credit score.
Reasons to get a loan
Reasons to avoid
Credibly allows applicants to pre-quality for its funding products with a soft credit check, a credit score of 500, and six months in business. But it uses a scoring model that considers more than just your credit score when making formal offers of financing. The lender uses other business data like your financials to assess the health of your business to provide you the following funding types for your SME:
- Working capital loans
- Merchant cash advances
- Business expansion loans
- Invoice factoring and business lines of credit
- Restaurant equipment loans
Credibly also offers access to several SBA loans for small business owners at reasonable interest rates and solid terms. While they can tell you in 24 hours which SBA loan you may qualify for, funding for SBA loans can take 30-60 days after you get the correct paperwork to the SBA. The application requirements, terms, and interest rates for other lending products through Credibly vary by the type of funding, and you can use the funding for any purpose. But, to get the funds, you’ll have to sign a personal guarantee making you personally responsible to repay the funds if your business can’t. While you don’t need collateral for most Credibly lending products, SBA loans require a blanket lien on all business and personal property as collateral to secure their loans.
The Bottom Line
With Credibly’s extensive lending options, you can access funding directly through them, and additional loan types via their lending partner programs. The lender also can help you determine which of several SBA loans you may qualify to get. But, the SBA has a separate, and often lengthy, loan process you must go through to get their loans, and they require a personal guarantee, and sometimes a blanket lien on business and personal property to secure their loans.
Try Credibly
Read the full Credibly review for more details.
Fora Financial - Best for Flexible Terms
Fora Financial, a direct lender of working capital, offers small business loans across hundreds of industries with no collateral required and no restrictions on use. You can get a free, no obligation quote with no credit effect, and approval can be as fast as 24 hours after formally applying. Flexible terms can make Fora Financial loans more manageable for businesses of all sizes, and you can get multiple rounds of financing from the lender. You might also qualify for funding if you have poor credit.
Reasons to get a loan
Reasons to avoid
Pre-qualify for a no obligation Fora Financial loan with a soft inquiry, and get approval in 24-hours after completing their one-page application and submitting a few bank statements. The lender offers unrestricted use, small business loans and merchant cash advances from $5,000 to $750,000 with 15-month terms. You must be in business for at least six months with monthly gross sales of $12,000 or more or $5,000 a month in credit card sales. Once approved, the funds are deposited into your business bank account within 72 hours.
The Bottom Line
Fora Financial makes applying for a short-term loan easy and the requirements are not as strict as with big banks and other lenders. You can get funding in as little as 72-hours once approved and there are no restrictions on the use of funds, but check to see if you must provide a personal guarantee.
Try Fora Financial
Read the full Fora Financial review for more details.
Fundbox - Best for Fixing Cash Flow Issues
Fundbox offers a solid option for revolving lines of credit for your woman-owned small business. Their credit score requirements are low, and they don’t have strict time in business requirements. Their quick application process gives you fast access to funds with flexible payment terms, and they guarantee you’ll know your payment total before committing to borrow. What’s unique about Fundbox is it integrates with a number of services small businesses across business sectors use. Fundbox now offers term loans to a limited number of qualifying applicants.
Reasons to get a loan
Reasons to avoid
Pre-qualify for a line of credit with a 600 FICO® score and $100,000 in annual revenue without a hard credit pull to borrow up to $150,000, with weekly terms of 12 or 24 weeks. You must provide your business checking account so Fundbox can estimate your annual revenue to assess your ability to repay. Funbox detemines your line of credit using your annual revenue information and personal credit score, but may request other business documentation. The lender charges no origination fee, prepayment penalties, or hidden fees. They charge a weekly fee similar to interest based on your balance and the repayment plan you select. Rates start at 4.66% weekly for a 12 week plan and 8.99% weekly for a 24 week repayment plan. They also charge late and NSF fees.
The Bottom Line
Fundbox offers access to a line of credit in a fast and uncomplicated way. Credit lines may be too low for your business, making them more suitable for cash flow infusions and invoice financing for some businesses. However, the weekly repayment fees can vary by customer and over time, so make sure you know what yours will be high.
Try Fundbox
Read the full Fundbox review for more details.
Funding Circle - Best for Accessing Different Funding Solutions
Funding Circle offers business term loans, business lines of credit and access to SBA loans to business owners with fair credit. The lender works with businesses with more than one owner or partner. Each Funding Circle lending product has different application processes, loan terms, fees, rates, and qualification requirements. While you can apply for term loans and lines of credit quickly and get fast credit decisions in most cases, SBA loans take considerably longer. Each Funding Circle customer also gets an individual loan consultant they work with throughout their relationship with the lender.
Reasons to get a loan
Reasons to avoid
Pre-qualify for all lending products with a soft credit inquiry and a fair credit score of 660 for business owners. Get lines of credit up to $250,000 in as fast as 48 hours, term loans up to $500,000 in as little as 3 days, and SBA 7(a) loans up to $5 million. For term loans and credit lines, you must have 2 years in business, two years of tax returns and 6 months of bank statements to apply. Some business term loans require collateral. SBA loans require 3 years in business and complete business financial documents. The SBA also requires 3 years of personal tax returns, personal financial documents and a hard credit pull for the personal guarantor for loans between $25,000-$350,000. You can't have personal bankruptcies in the prior seven years.
The Bottom Line
If you're looking for lending solutions for a variety of business needs and with different rates, fees, and terms depending on your credit, Funding Circle offers that. The lender also is ideal for businesses with multiple owners or partners, and offers strong support for them.
Try Funding Circle
Read the full Funding Circle review for more details
How We Choose the Best Small Business Loans for Women
With so many business loans available, choosing the best small business loan for women can be tricky and time-consuming. Luckily, our team of experts did the work for you. They reviewed the best practices for choosing a small business loan, and used the following factors to rank the lenders on this page.
- Application process: Identify lenders with transparent application processes. Find lenders that provide all the features of their lending process like rates, fees, and terms, with no surprises in the process.
- Qualification details: Know your personal credit scores, business credit scores, annual revenue, and other details so you can find loans that are best for your company. Know if you’ll be required to provide a personal guarantee to get funding.
- Variety of loan options: Business financing comes in many options like Small Business Administration loans, unsecured and secured business loans, lines of credit, startup loans, merchant cash advances, and more. Research to narrow down your preferred financing methods.
- Interest rates and fees: Compare multiple offers to find the best deal. If you need to use nontraditional financing, understand the cost of borrowing may be higher.
- Customer support: Determine the lender’s customer support options, like email, phone, chat or other methods. Know their hours of operation to determine if they’re available during the times you need them.
- Online user reviews: Use online review platforms like Trustpilot to research the lender’s customer service rankings (including average response time), their trustworthiness or transparency, and their customer support throughout the application and repayment processes.Look for patterns that show the strengths and weaknesses of lenders you’re considering.
Main Features of the Best Small-Business Loans for Women
| Company | Min. Credit Score | Min. Time in Business | Min. Revenue | Loan Amount | Interest Rate |
| National Funding | 600 | 6+ months | $250,000 yearly | $5,000 - $500,000 | Varies |
| Kabbage | 640 | 12 months | $3000 monthly | 2,000 to $250,000 | Monthly fee |
| Bluevine | 625 | 3 months | $120,000 | $5,000 to $250,000 | Starts at 4.8% |
| Biz2Credit | 575 to 660 minimum | 6+ Months | $250,000 | From $25,000 to $6 million | Varies |
| Credibly | FICO Score 500+ | 6+ Months | Varies | Up to $400,000 | Varies |
| Fora Financial | Around 500 | 6+ months | $144,000 | From $5,000 to $750,000 | One time factor rate |
| Fundbox | 600 | Not specified | $100,000 | Up to $150,000 | 4.66% or 8.99% weekly |
| Funding Circle | 660 | Two years | Not specified | Between $25,000 and $500,000 | Varies |
How Do Women-Owned Businesses Apply for Loans?
Here are three steps to help you apply for a small business loan for women.
- Review eligibility requirements. Be sure to research a lender’s qualification criteria before completing an application. For example, some lenders might only accept applications from businesses that are majority or 51% or more woman-owned. With certain SBA loans, meanwhile, you might also need to be certified through the Small Business Administration as a Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB).
- Gather the necessary documentation. Most lenders want to see 2-3 years of of your personal and business tax returns, bank statements, business financials and documents, proper identification, business plan (for SBA loans), and more.
- Choose your preferred loan and apply. Once you’re sure you can qualify for and afford the financing you need, perhaps calculate the cost of borrowing. Interest rates and fees can vary widely among lenders. So, don’t be afraid to shop around.
Small Business Grants for Women
Access to capital through lenders is helpful, but you have to repay those funds. Grants offer the chance to grow your business without going into debt. The process may be time consuming, and the funds take much longer to get than from loan, but they don’t require a credit check to apply. However, business grants are taxable income to your business, unless the law states otherwise, and the granting organizations will send documentation to the IRS confirming you received the funds from them. Check to determine whether you must pay federal or state taxes on these grants.
Government Grants
The U.S. government, regions, and states offer grants for women-owned small businesses. To qualify, you must satisfy a number of requirements, like agreeing to collaborate with the federal government or another enterprise, having the correct number of employees (i.e., less than 500), and other qualifications depending on the grant source. For more details, on federally-funded grants, visit at Grants.gov and use the search feature to find grants for women. Also, visit Challenge.gov for opportunities to win cash prizes for competing in federal government agency-run creative, scientific and technical business challenges.
Small Business Development Centers (SBDC): Part of the Small Business Administration, SBDCs often are associated with local universities or a state’s economic development agency. Tasked with providing small businesses and entrepreneurs support, SBDCs can direct you to grant resources in your area.
State Trade Expansion Program (STEP): This SBA program provides funds to state governments to help small businesses expand internationally. Grant opportunities vary by state but can offer grant funds for multiple global marketing activities.
Also search for Women’s Business Development Centers online, which most states have, and for “small business grants” and your state name. States like California, Florida, New York, and Texas offer multiple small business grant programs, but they’re available in other states, too.
Corporate and Foundation Grants
Like state and local grants, corporate and foundation grants abound. Here are several sources of these grants.
Cartier Women's Initiative Grants
The Cartier Women's Initiative is an international entrepreneurship program that promotes change by empowering women entrepreneurs. The program offers seven regional grants with a top grant award of $100,000 for seven laureates and $30,000 for 14 finalists. It aims to fund strong, sustainable social and environmental impact.
Amber Grant
The Amber Grant is a private foundation that awards a grant of $10,000 or more every month. The foundation awards an extra $25,000 grant to one of the 12 winners at the end of the year.
To apply you must:
- Pay a $15 application fee.
- Disclose the name and nature of your business.
- Share what you plan to do with the grant.
To recognize the diversity of women-owned businesses, the organization expanded its grant-giving to include “Marketing Grants” and “Business Category Grants.” Their site also provides resources for finding other grants.
The Girlboss Foundation Grant
The Girlboss Foundation offers two $15,000 grants to women business owners. Grants are available for women entrepreneurs involved in the following creative fields:
- Music
- Arts
- Design
- Fashion
To be eligible for a grant, you must demonstrate that you have an innovative and creative woman-owned business with financial need.
FedEx Small Business Grant
FedEx offers grants to small businesses within the United States that meet the following criteria:
- Active businesses with a FedEx shipping account and a shipping need
- No more than 99 employees.
- At least six months in business
The 2021 grant contest offered a first-place award of $50,000, a second-place award of $30,000, and third-place awards of $15,000. Winners also get a credit to use on FedEx Office print services.
Comcast RISE
The Comcast RISE Small Business Program is a contest that eligible women-owned business owners enter to win grants. In March of 2021, 500 businesses won a combined $5 million in grants, and another $6 million was awarded that November.
Eligible grant recipients may use funds for:
- Media consultation and campaigns
- Technology upgrades
To apply, complete an online application and optional video to explain why your business should be considered.
Additional Resources and Organizations for Women Business Owners
In addition to online lenders and grants, here are some other sources of loan funds to consider.
Local Banks and Credit Unions
Many lenders have moved online, but if you prefer a face-to-face connection, local community banks and credit unions might be better fit you.
Equipment Financing
If you need funding to purchase or lease equipment, the seller or manufacturer might offer financing options to help you cover the cost of your purchase. Keep in mind the equipment usually acts as the collateral for the loan.
Investors and Venture Capitalists
If you have a business or idea with the potential to scale, you might consider taking on investors or venture capitalists. However, be prepared to share some equity in your business, and to invite input from your new business partners in the future. Women also face obstacles here. They received just 2.3% of venture capital funding in 2020.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a bit like GoFundMe, except for business. You can use a number of online platforms to raise money for your business, with a series of small donations or equity-based investments. So, know whether participants in your crowdfunding campaigns are giving outright donations or require something in return for their funds. Also carefully review the rules for using their platforms to avoid challenges to your fundraising campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
What types of small business loans for women are there?
Women have many options when it comes to small business
loans — including programs that may be available to them only. Women can apply
for traditional business loans, SBA loans, equipment loans, term loans,
microloans, lines of credit and other debt funding.
How do I qualify for a business loan for women?
To qualify for a business loan, you typically need good
business and personal credit. Requirements differ among lenders, and depend on
the type of financing you’re seeking. Some lenders require borrowers to be in
business for a specified period of time and to generate a minimum annual
revenue, for example. It’s always smart to research a loan’s specific
qualification criteria in advance.
What are the loan amounts for business loans for women?
Business loan amounts vary greatly for women and any other
business borrower. You can receive as little as $1,000 for a small business
loan. If you are looking to purchase land and build, some lenders reviewed here
will approve $6 million or more in financing. It’s wise to figure out how much
you need to borrow and how much you can afford to repay when you’re researching
your business financing options.
Are there small business loans for women with bad credit?
Are there small business loans for minority women?
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for choices besides debt financing, consider these grants and small business loans for women. You won’t get funded as fast and may have to compete with others to get financed this way, but if you have time to wait and really want to avoid debt, this may be the way to go.
Analyzing and thoroughly reviewing financial services loans is considerable work, but our team of financial experts that is made up of Accounting and Finance Professors, Doctors of Business Administration (DBA), Certified Financial Education Instructors (CFEI), Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) and a Certified Public Accountants (CPA), Award-Winning Business and Personal Finance Journalists is more than up for the task.
To find the best small business loans for women, we compared loan options and lenders to find companies with excellent ratings and user reviews on websites like Trustpilot. We also looked for lenders who offer high loan amounts and flexible repayment options, as well as the ability to apply and set up loan funding online.
Written by: Michelle Lambright Black
Michelle Lambright Black is a credit expert with over 19 years of experience, a freelance writer, and a certified credit expert witness.
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Reviewed by: Dahna Chandler
Dahna M. Chandler is an award-winning business and finance journalist with 25 years of experience writing for major media outlets and top blogs. Because of her love for all things digital and entrepreneurship, she’s worked as a freelance online journalist and blogger her entire career.
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Fact Checked by: Dr. JeFreda R. Brown
Dr. JeFreda R. Brown is more than a financial consultant: she’s an avid teacher and subject matter expert who helps people—individuals and groups in a business setting—master the skills they need to achieve lasting financial wellbeing. As Founder and CEO of Xaris Financial Enterprises, it is her passion and life goal to help others develop and maintain financial wellness.
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