Access to Capital

There is an ecosystem of partners, funders, programs, and other financial resources. We can help you learn about the options that are are available for your specific situation, and guide you towards options that are the best fit.

For most funding options, you will need to provide financial reports from a bookkeeping system. Aside from seeking funding, having good financial records help you make informed strategic decisions, file taxes, and understand your profitability.

We offer a variety of bookkeeping trainings business owners at all skill levels:

• Open Accounting Advising

• Intro to Bookkeeping

• QuickBooks Online Training Series

• In-Depth Bookkeeping Support

We can also help you prepare and understand financial reports from your bookkeeping system or bookkeeper.

How do you know if you’re making the right decision? We can provide you templates and work with you to fill them in so you can budget, project, analyze, and plan, based on your needs, goals, and personal tolerance to risk.

We are here to support your financial health.

There are many steps to take when preparing to access capital, and Livelihood NW can help you through this process. This may include access to credit repair resources or high interest debt consolidation, establishing a business bank account, filling out paperwork and applications, understanding terminology, and more.

The first step is to meet with a Livelihood NW Advisor to assess your needs and goals.

In partnership with an ecosystem of providers, we offer grant programs, and refer to resources that meet your needs. Livelihood NW has a variety of grants available to eligible Livelihood NW clients.

These grants aim to support economic stability, self-sufficiency, wealth building for eligible small business owners.

Grants are a popular funding source as they do not need to be paid back. However, the funding typically is available to a specific, often niche audience. Sometimes, grant proceeds are taxable, so check with your Tax Preparer or grant provider for details.

Livelihood NW offers several grants. Talk to your business advisor for more information.

We also keep an ever-evolving list of grants and post them monthly in our newsletter. Sign up for our newsletter to receive these updates!

There are many sites that list grant opportunities, we plan to update this site soon with more info.

Livelihood NW Business Advisors can help you decide IF you should seek capital, what KIND of capital would be best for your needs, WHERE to go to access capital, how MUCH you need to start your business, how you can pay BACK the loan, and much more.

Schedule a meeting with your Business Advisor or an Open Business Advising appointment to get started.

We do NOT offer loans or investment, but we can recommend trusted options for you to explore.

We DO have a grant program. We partner with other organizations to subsidize the cost of our services. Depending on what program you are in, you may also be eligible for free or subsidized services from other organizations.

Schedule a meeting with your Business Advisor or an Open Business Advising appointment to learn more.

Yes! There are many organizations who have loans for individuals who have been denied a loan from a traditional lender, or who are considered more “risky” to loan to. There is quite a bit of money out there and we can help you navigate these options.

An IDA stands for “Individual Development Account” and is a matched savings grant. There are IDA programs for housing, education, business, and more. If you qualify for an IDA, we highly recommend taking advantage of this program, offered by many providers across the state (and nationwide). We are most familiar with business IDAs.

Yes, but there are fewer lenders available who lend to ITIN holders. We are happy to talk through your options, and can provide assistance in English or Spanish.

Yes — We can assist you with business budgeting to manage cash flow, connecting you to credit repair programs (if needed), and may be able to refer you to trustworthy, local lenders who provide debt consolidation loans, so you can get away from high interest debt.

There are many pros and cons to think about when considering whether or not you should take on a business partner or investor. We can help you think through the benefits and drawbacks so you can make the best decision for you and your business.

We get asked this a lot. The answer is SOMETIMES, but startups are one of the most difficult businesses to fund. Lenders usually want to see 2 years of financials. Since startups cannot provide historical financials, you might need to demonstrate successful financial management in other ways, and/or provide collateral to secure the loan, and/or scale down your concept to something you can fund more easily to start generating revenue and prove your concept to a lender.

Pitch competitions, crowdfunding, investment, business partners, and family loans may be more accessible to startups, however each has its pros/cons. We are happy to help you navigate your options.

Schedule a meeting with your Business Advisor or an Open Business Advising appointment to get started.