.svg)
The short version: On May 1, 2026, the SBA opens two new 7(a) loan programs — one for U.S. manufacturers, one for businesses across the food supply chain. Both carry a 90% federal guarantee, up from the standard 75%. That bump makes it meaningfully easier to get approved. Here's what it means for you.
A quick reminder on how SBA loans actually work
The SBA doesn't fund your loan. Banks do. The SBA just sets the rules and guarantees a portion of the risk — so if a loan goes bad, the federal government reimburses the bank for most of the loss. Which bank you apply with, and how your file is packaged, is the difference between an easy yes and a flat no.
When the guarantee goes up, banks get more comfortable saying yes. That's the whole point of these two new programs.
Program 1: Made in America Loan Guarantee
Built for U.S. small manufacturers (NAICS 31–33), this program is designed to channel capital into the American shop floor. Expect to see deals funded for:
- Equipment — CNCs, presses, production lines, controls
- Facility expansion — build-outs, new plants, owner-occupied real estate
- Onshoring — reducing foreign-supplier dependency
- Working capital — inventory, payroll, acquisitions
Loan amounts available up to $5M. The 90% guarantee gives banks room to approve deals they'd have passed on under conventional terms.
Program 2: The Grocery Guarantee
This program covers every link in America's food chain — farm to fork. Eligible industries include:
- Farmers and ranchers — grain, produce, cattle, dairy, poultry (NAICS 111–112)
- Fishers and aquaculture (NAICS 114–115)
- Grocery and farm-supply wholesalers (NAICS 423–424)
- Specialized trucking and cold storage (NAICS 484, 493)
- Grocery retailers — supermarkets and independent grocers (NAICS 445)
The stated intent: channel capital into domestic food production, processing, and distribution — ultimately putting downward pressure on grocery prices. In 2025 the SBA deployed $7B to rural communities. The Grocery Guarantee is designed to accelerate that flow.
What "easier to qualify" looks like in practice
Because the SBA is shouldering 90% of the risk, lenders in these programs are generally willing to go further than on a conventional loan. Guidelines vary by bank, but expect to see:
- Credit score floors starting around 650 (vs. 700+ typical)
- Down payments as low as 10% (vs. 20–30%)
- More flexible collateral requirements
- Shorter time-in-business minimums at participating banks
The catch: every bank interprets those guidelines differently. One lender's "no" can be another's easy yes. Finding the right match is most of the battle.
Where Irving Fund comes in
We don't fund these loans — banks do. Our job is to know which banks are funding which deals right now, in which states, for which industries, with which credit profiles. We've spent years building that network, and we keep building it: every deal we facilitate (or lose) teaches us something new about who's saying yes to what.
Our specialty: unsecured SBA loans up to $350,000. No collateral. No real estate on the line. For larger-ticket deals under these new programs, we'll route you to the right bank in our network.
Stay tuned
This is the high-level preview. Over the coming days we'll publish drill-down pieces on each program — eligible NAICS codes, sample deal structures, how to prep your file, and which lenders are already signaling they'll be active on day one. Subscribe to the Irving Fund Report to get them the moment they drop.
Applications open May 1, 2026. If you think you might qualify, talk to us now — we can have your file packaged and in front of the right bank the day the window opens.
