Loan fund open in county

HARRISBURG - A $2 million Pennsylvania Business Opportunity Fund has been designed to provide loans and technical assistance to minority- and women-owned businesses in 13 counties across Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Business Opportunity Fund was developed in partnership with the Department of General Services, the Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Community First Fund, Lancaster.

DCED will provide $1 million in funding, which will be matched by the Community First Fund, who will administer the program. The DGS Bureau of Minority-and Women Business Opportunities will make referrals to the Community First Fund for loan financing.

"The commonwealth is taking a bold and creative step to eliminate one of the more systemic and historical barriers to minority- and women-owned small business, and we stand ready to assist those smaller firms and help them compete for state contract opportunities," said DGS Secretary James P. Creedon.

This pilot program is open to businesses located in the Community First Fund's service area, which comprises the following counties: Adams, Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry and York. Based on this pilot, the plan is to make similar funds available statewide in the future.