Most CDFI microloans top out at $50,000: 55 of the 89 lenders that state a maximum on their website put it at exactly $50,000, the same ceiling as the SBA microloan program. The median stated maximum is $50,000, and the median stated minimum is $1,000 (35 lenders).
Stated maximums
| Largest microloan stated | Lenders | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $10,000 | 11 | 12% |
| $10,000 to $24,999 | 9 | 10% |
| $25,000 to $49,999 | 10 | 11% |
| Exactly $50,000 | 55 | 62% |
| Over $50,000 | 4 | 4% |
The cluster matches the SBA's own ceiling. The SBA says its microloan program provides loans up to $50,000 to help small businesses and certain not-for-profit childcare centers start up and expand. The average microloan is about $13,000.
[1] 35 of the 132 microloan lenders also describe SBA-backed loans on their site. The SBA lists its intermediaries on its microlender list; we did not match the two lists.
What CDFIs actually lent
Stated limits are ceilings. For real loans, the CDFI Fund publishes every loan its award recipients report, with the lender's name masked. In fiscal year 2022, its award recipients reported 179,306 microenterprise loans (the Fund's category "non-real estate microenterprise"), $1.4 billion in total, with a median of $5,000. One reporter weighs heavily: the largest single reporter files 33% of all FY2022 records. Leave it out and the median microenterprise loan is $15,000. So a typical CDFI microloan is far below the $50,000 ceiling.
Source: CDFI Fund award recipient data release, Transaction Level Report and Consumer Loan Report public files for fiscal year 2022 (released 4 Dec 2024, downloaded 3 Nov 2026). Only organisations with an active CDFI Fund award report, and the Fund masks their identity; amounts are original amounts as reported; no figure comes from fewer than 3 transactions. How we count.
Stated minimums
Fewer lenders publish a floor. Where they do, it is low:
| Smallest microloan stated | Lenders |
|---|---|
| Under $1,000 | 12 |
| $1,000 to $2,499 | 8 |
| $2,500 to $4,999 | 2 |
| $5,000 or more | 13 |
By lender type
| Lender type | Microloan lenders | State a maximum | Median maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loan funds | 116 | 76 | $50,000 |
| Credit unions | 10 | 9 | $50,000 |
| Banks or thrifts | 5 | 3 | $35,000 |
| Bank holding companies | 1 | 1 | $5,000 |
Microloans are a loan-fund product: 116 of the 132 lenders are loan funds. The rest are credit unions and banks that call a small business product a microloan.
Most loan funds are small nonprofits. Of the 445 certified loan funds we matched to an IRS Form 990, the median total assets are $15.6 million, and the median of notes and loans receivable (what borrowers owe the fund) is $7.8 million (361 funds report one). For 411 of them the newest filing covers a fiscal year ending in 2023.
Source: IRS Annual Extract of Tax-Exempt Organization Financial Data (returns processed in 2024, 2023, 2022; downloaded 3 Nov 2026), newest Form 990 or 990-EZ per fund, end-of-year figures as self-reported. Total assets are the whole balance sheet; loans receivable is Form 990 Part X line 7. Funds are matched to the IRS by name, state and city or ZIP.
Lenders whose microloans go above $50,000
- Cardinal Credit Union (Credit union, OH):
Loans less than $250,000
/loans-credit-cards/business-loans - Eastern American Economic Development Corporation (Loan fund, NJ):
Microloan Up to $250K
/ - North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (Loan fund, MA):
As the state-designated regional economic development organization for North Central Massachusetts, we offer comprehensive support including micro-loans up to $250,000 and technical assistance.
/economic-development - Carver Federal Savings Bank (Bank or thrift, NY):
Loans from $10,000 to $100,000
/lending/business-and-commercial-lending
The smallest stated limits
Some programs are built for a first loan of a few thousand dollars:
- Chehalis Tribal Loan Fund (Loan fund, WA):
Borrow between $500 and $2,000 to cover:
/native-artist-microloan - Yurok Alliance for Northern California Housing (Loan fund, CA):
Micro Loans - up to $2,000
/programs - Grameen America, Inc. (Loan fund, NY):
Our first-time loan is between $500 and $2,500 and every six months
/request-a-loan - First SouthWest Bancorporation, Inc. (Bank holding company, CO):
The La Plata County Workforce Rental Assistance Program offers low-cost, fixed-rate micro-loans of up to $5,000 to cover first month’s rent
/personal/rental-assistance-micro-loans - First Southwest Bank (Bank or thrift, CO):
The La Plata County Workforce Rental Assistance Program offers low-cost, fixed-rate micro-loans of up to $5,000
/personal/rental-assistance-micro-loans - Hopi Credit Association (Loan fund, AZ):
HCA also makes available small microenterprise loans in amounts up to $5,000.00.
/business-loans - Mvskoke Loan Fund (Loan fund, OK):
A loan designed to help with start-up or expansion needs, up to $5,000.
/lending - Northern Shores Community Development, Inc. (Loan fund, MI):
Loan amounts from $500 – $5000
/small.html - Providence Revolving Fund (Loan fund, RI):
Across the entire state of Rhode Island, small businesses with 10 or fewer employees can easily access loans of up to $5,000.
/services - Holy Rosary Credit Union (Credit union, MO):
BUSINESS MICROLOANS UP TO $7,000
/ - Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (Loan fund, PA):
The interest rate for loans between $100 and $7,000 is 0%.
/apply-for-a-loan/loan-faqs - Albany Community Together, Inc. (Loan fund, GA):
Loans up to $10,000 based on accelerated steps:
/micro-business-accelerated-loan-program
If you need more than a microloan
General small business loans go much higher. Across all verified lenders, 132 state a maximum for their small business loans, with a median of $250,000. In the CDFI Fund's FY2022 transaction data, the median non-real-estate business loan that was not a microenterprise loan was $100,000 (35,076 loans). See CDFI small business loans and CDFIs that make SBA loans.
Startups
41 of the 132 microloan lenders also say on their site that they lend to startups or new businesses. See CDFI loans for startups.
Where the lenders are
| State | Lenders headquartered there | State page for this loan type |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 14 | 15 lenders serve New York |
| California | 12 | 13 lenders serve California |
| Michigan | 8 | 8 lenders serve Michigan |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | 8 lenders serve Pennsylvania |
| Wisconsin | 6 | 8 lenders serve Wisconsin |
| Minnesota | 5 | — |
| Missouri | 5 | — |
| New Jersey | 5 | — |
| Texas | 5 | — |
| Colorado | 4 | — |
| Georgia | 4 | — |
| Nebraska | 4 | — |
| Virginia | 4 | — |
| Washington | 4 | — |
| Illinois | 3 | — |
County pages that list at least one of these lenders:
The full list, with each lender's quote and amounts, is on the CDFI microloans hub.
Questions
How much can I borrow with a CDFI microloan?
Usually up to $50,000. Of 89 lenders that state a maximum, 55 say exactly $50,000; the median is $50,000. 4 go higher.
How big is a typical CDFI microloan in practice?
Much smaller than the limit. In the CDFI Fund's fiscal year 2022 transaction data, the median microenterprise loan by award recipients was $5,000 across 179,306 loans, or $15,000 without the single largest reporter.
What is the smallest microloan?
The lowest stated minimum is $100; the median of 35 stated minimums is $1,000.
Is a CDFI microloan the same as an SBA microloan?
Not always. The SBA says its microloans go through intermediary lenders that are nonprofit community-based organizations. 35 of the 132 CDFI microloan lenders here also describe SBA-backed loans; the rest set their own rules.
What does the SBA say the average microloan is?
About $13,000, with a maximum of $50,000 and a maximum repayment term of seven years.
Can a startup get a CDFI microloan?
Many lenders say yes: 41 of the 132 microloan lenders state that they fund startups or new businesses.
Not financial advice. CDFI Atlas is not a lender and is not affiliated with the CDFI Fund. Lender terms change: confirm with the lender.
Sources
- SBA: Microloans, read 3 Nov 2026
- CDFI Fund: CDFI Certification, read 3 Nov 2026
- CDFI Fund: CDFI/NACA/CDFI RRP Program Award Recipient Data Release (Transaction Level Report and Consumer Loan Report public files), data downloaded 3 Nov 2026 (data date given where it is used)
- IRS: SOI Tax Stats, Annual Extract of Tax-Exempt Organization Financial Data (Form 990), data downloaded 3 Nov 2026 (data date given where it is used)
Lender data: the CDFI Fund list of certified CDFIs as of 21 Oct 2026 and the lenders' own websites, read 29 Oct 2026–4 Nov 2026 (each lender page shows its own date). Method: About and methodology.