San Francisco Bay Area Small Business Assistance Resources
Today, the Bayview Merchants Association continues its tradition as a powerful voice for small and local businesses in the Bayview-Hunters Point community. Bolstered by the 2005 opening of MUNIs T line 3rd Street light rail, the Lennar development at the Hunters Point Shipyard and hundreds of other smaller-scale projects, Bayview-Hunters Point is undergoing an economic renaissance – and the BMA is working hard to ensure that its members benefit from the neighborhoods rapid growth.
California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity
Annually, CAMEOs 220+ members serve about 34,000 very small businesses with training, business and credit assistance, and loans. These firms — largely startups with less than 5 employees — support or create 51,000 new jobs in California.
We train underserved, low-income and minority entrepreneurs to help them start, develop and grow their businesses. We also support graduate business school students become small business consultants.
Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA)
We empower our small business entrepreneurs and professionals by creating opportunities for marketing, networking, procurement, and referral-based business growth. We also collaborate with other non-profits and engage with business and civic leaders to support policies that foster a more inclusive and welcoming business community, thus creating greater opportunities for our member businesses
Golden Gate Restaurant Association
The Golden Gate Restaurant Associations mission is to celebrate and empower the restaurant community through advocacy, education, marketing, events and training
La Cocina is a nonprofit working to solve problems of equity in business ownership for women, immigrants and people of color. We support small businesses by providing an affordable commercial kitchen space, industry-specific technical assistance and access to market opportunities. We focus primarily on providing resources to women from communities of color and immigrant communities.
Mission Economic Development Agency
MEDA provides services related to assisting you to improve your business. This may include addressing operations, marketing, expansion, financing or budgeting MEDA provides services to assist you to launch your business MEDA provides services to assist you to market your products or services MEDA can provide assistance in obtaining low-interest rate loans to start or expand your business
The Northern California Small Business Development Centers (Norcal SBDC) is a nonprofit network made up of 18 centers that are dedicated to helping small businesses with every aspect of business creation, growth, management, and operation. Find your local SBDC today to start receiving one-on-one advising and low cost training.
Pacific Community Ventures helps small business owners grow and create good local jobs through a “Good Jobs, Good Business” model that combines affordable loans with pro-bono advising, tools and incentives to create good jobs, our national BusinessAdvising.org mentoring platform, and social impact evaluation and field building research
Looking forward to our next 30 years of impacting Bay Area communities, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center is poised to help thousands of individuals achieve personal, financial, and social transformation through the power of small business
San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce
The San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce (SFAACC) is one of the most influential minority business organizations in California, representing and promoting African American business owners in the bustling economy of San Francisco. Through advocacy and economic development, SFAACC is creating a firm economic base that supports the self-determination and survival of African American businesses
San Francisco Disability Business Alliance (SFDBA)
The San Francisco Disability Business Alliance (SFDBA) is a pioneering new initiative that aspires to build a powerful and integrated community of businesses in the Bay Area owned by people with disabilities. Through the provision of business development support, nurturing entrepreneurial opportunities, galvanizing procurement and supply chain connections to major corporations, and through creating connectivity and mentoring opportunities, entrepreneurs with disabilities will have an increased opportunity and space to both grow and develop a business. The SFDBA will ensure that individuals with disabilities have an equal and inclusive opportunity to make their mark in the business world AND ensure that the Bay Area benefits fully from the expertise, diversity, and innovation these businesses and individuals have to offer.
San Francisco Economic Development Alliance (SFEDA)
The mission of the San Francisco Economic Development Alliance (SFEDA) is to bring solutions and prosperity to every small business owner serving San Francisco
San Francisco fosters vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education. We provide free and unlimited mentoring to existing and startup businesses and non-profit organizations.
SCORE also offers low cost live and virtual workshops and roundtables on hundreds of topics. Mentors are current and retired business owners, executives, and professionals who want to give back to the community by sharing their valuable experiences.
Our backgrounds span large and small companies in a wide variety of industries. The SF Chapter of SCORE covers San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties. SCORE is a non-profit affiliate of the Small Business Administration.
San Francisco Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
The San Francisco Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a results oriented program that provides expert no-cost advising and workshops in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese, to guide small businesses to success.
As a non-profit service provider funded by the San Francisco Mayors Office of Community Investment and the US Small Business Administration, we usually work with entrepreneurs and business owners at the early stages of their businesses, i.e. businesses that have been in operation for 12 months or less and prior to the start-up of the business. Over the years, we have been able to develop special expertise in working with these businesses and assisting them with the unique issues they face.
The SF LGBT Center takes pride in assisting LGBTQ entrepreneurs through a variety of programs including one-on-one counseling, an innovative rapid credit-building microloan, workshops on access to capital preparation, and referrals to our vast small business development network.
Young entrepreneurs (ages 18 - 29) are digital natives, and experienced entrepreneurs are busy and not always located where the need is. Our remote advising and mentorship opportunities allow volunteers to connect with young entrepreneurs in a way that is both convenient and effective. There is no easier way to make a lasting impact!
The Airport Commissions Small Business Affairs Office (SBAO) conducts outreach programs to promote and ensure local, small and disadvantaged business participation in Airport concession leases and contracts (e.g. construction and professional services).
Small Business Assistance Center
The Office of Small Business, Small Business Assistance Center is the citys central point for information and assistance for small businesses and entrepreneurs located in San Francisco. We provide one-to-one case management assistance including information on required license and permits, technical assistance, financing options, and other business resources to help businesses start, grow, and thrive.
Venturize is our free online resource hub for small business owners who need help accessing tools and resources to grow their businesses. We also help small businesses get connected to trusted local providers that can help their enterprises grow
We help under-resourced entrepreneurs build businesses to increase their personal financial security and stimulate economic activity in their communities.
Tech Futures Group (TFG) is a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program focusing exclusively on advising qualified technology clients located in the NorCal SBDC network coverage area. Funding from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the state of California allows TFG to pay its advisors and provide free services to its clients. TFG takes no equity and accepts no cash from clients
The Business Ownership Initiative works to build understanding and strengthen the role of business ownership as an economic opportunity strategy. We work closely with micro- and small business practitioners and the institutions that invest in them around the US to build knowledge and strengthen practice by exploring innovation, conducting research, evaluating new ideas, and supporting leaders
West Business Development Center
Small businesses are the heart of every community. The West Business Development Center will continue to support Mendocino County small business owners and the communities they serve so they may thrive in the decades ahead.
Working Solutions is a certified nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that supports San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneurs to start and grow thriving local businesses. We specialize in start-up and early-stage financing for individuals residing in the nine Bay Area counties.