Small Business Resources
The Controller’s Office has compiled the following resources to help California small businesses learn about various federal, state, and local programs. Resources on this page will be updated as programs are identified. Program deadlines vary, so please check with the agency on timelines and application materials.
To learn about starting a small business in California, please visit SCO’s resource page.
To learn about COVID relief, please visit SCO’s COVID Relief and Assistance for Small Business page.
SCO hosts monthly free regional small business webinars. Register for future webinars or view past webinars here.
Grants
| Program | Agency | What Does It Do? | More Information and to Apply: |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Dream Fund Program | California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) | The California Dream Fund Program is a one-time $35 Million grant program that will provide microgrants up to $10,000 to seed entrepreneurship and small business creation in California. This program will be administered by CalOSBA and disbursed through select centers of the California Small Business Technical Assistance Expansion Program (TAEP) Network of Centers. | View participating centers: https://cdn.calosba.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/California-Dream-Fund-Participating-TA-Centers.pdf |
Tax Credits
| Program | Agency | What Does It Do? | More Information and to Apply: |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) | State Treasurer’s Office | Offers sales tax exemptions on equipment purchases for manufacturers promoting alternative energy and advanced transportation and facilitates financing for energy efficiency retrofits. | https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/caeatfa/ |
| California Competes Tax Credit | Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) | Offers tax credits to businesses that want to locate in California or stay and grow in California. Businesses of any industry, size, or location compete for over $180 million available in tax credits by applying in one of the three application periods each year. | https://business.ca.gov/california-competes-tax-credit/ |
Loans and Financing
| Program | Agency | What Does It Do? | More Information and to Apply: |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Pollution Control Financing Authority (CPCFA) | State Treasurer’s Office | Supports small business financing and has sub-programs for both electric vehicle charging and low-emissions heavy duty trucks. | https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/cpcfa/ |
| California Rebuilding Fund | Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) lenders | A loan program to support California’s small businesses—especially those located in economically disadvantaged and historically under-banked areas of the state. Businesses who employed 50 or less full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) and had gross revenues of less than $5 million or below in 2019 are eligible to apply | https://www.connect2capital.com/p/californiarebuildingfund/ |
Training
| Program | Agency | What Does It Do? | More Information and to Apply: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trainings and webinars | CalOSBA | California funds a network of small business technical assistance centers that provide no-cost one-on-one consulting and low-cost training services to small businesses and entrepreneurs with all stages | https://calosba.ca.gov/local-direct-assistance/external-trainings-webinars/ |
Employer-Provided Programs
| Program | Agency | What Does It Do? | More Information and to Apply: |
|---|---|---|---|
| CalSavers | State Treasurer's Office | California’s new retirement savings program that offers employers a public option. | https://www.calsavers.com/ |
| Employee training | Employment Training Panel | The Employment Training Panel (ETP) provides funding to employers for training that upgrades the skills of their workers. | https://etp.ca.gov/program-info/small-business/ |
Government Contracting
| Program | Agency | What Does It Do? | More Information and to Apply: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learn how to do business with the state of California | CA Department of General Services | Find resources to support your certified small business or disabled veteran business enterprise pursue contract opportunities with the state of California. | https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/Resources/Page-Content/Procurement-Division-Resources-List-Folder/How-to-do-business-with-the-state-of-California |
| Cal eProcure | CalVet (CA Department of Veterans Affairs) | CalVet is committed to awarding a minimum of 25 percent of its procurement dollars to California certified Small Business (SB) and a minimum of 5 percent to certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) firms. | https://www.calvet.ca.gov/OPC/Pages/SB-DVBE.aspx |
| Doing business with CalVet | CalVet (CA Department of Veterans Affairs) | CalVet is committed to awarding a minimum of 25 percent of its procurement dollars to California certified Small Business (SB) and a minimum of 5 percent to certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) firms. | https://www.calvet.ca.gov/OPC/Pages/SB-DVBE.aspx |
| Federal Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) | Federal Defense Logistics Agency | The Procurement Technical Assistance Program was established to expand the number of business capable of participating in government contracts. | https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/ |
Business Advocacy Agencies (Note: These are not government agencies.)
| Company | More Information: |
|---|---|
| California Black Chamber of Commerce | https://www.calbcc.org/ |
| America’s Small Business Development Centers | https://americassbdc.org/ |
| Small Business Majority California | https://smallbusinessmajority.org/state/ca |
| California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce | https://www.calasiancc.org/ |
| California Hmong Chamber of Commerce | https://cahmongchamber.com/ |
| California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce | https://www.cahcc.com/ |
| California Chamber of Commerce | https://www.calchamber.com/ |