AK · State guide

Business loans in Alaska

Alaska businesses can reach three separate pools of money: lenders that publish availability here, the state's own financing programs, and federal SBA lending through local participants. We have 8 state programs on file with published terms.

10 cities covered Checked 14 Sep 2026
Get funding in Alaska See the shortlist

Where to start in Alaska

No lender here publishes a state-by-state availability list naming AK, so this is the directory ranked by how much each one puts on the record. Absence from a list nobody publishes means nothing.

  1. 100%

    Forward Financing

    $5K – $500K Same day Credit from 500
    9/9 on the record
  2. 100%

    ROK Financial

    $10K – $5M 1-3 days Credit from 500
    9/9 on the record
  3. 100%

    South End Capital

    $1K – $5M Same-day funding available Credit from 650
    9/9 on the record
  4. 89%

    Bizcap US

    Up to $2M Same day Credit from 550
    8/9 on the record
  5. 89%

    ByzFunder

    Up to $500K Same day Credit from 525
    8/9 on the record
  6. 89%

    Fora Financial

    $5K – $1.5M As little as 24 hours Credit from 570
    8/9 on the record
  7. 89%

    Fox Business Funding

    Up to $1M As little as 2 business days Credit from 550
    8/9 on the record
  8. 89%

    National Funding

    $6K – $500K As fast as 24 hours Credit from 600
    8/9 on the record
  9. 89%

    Straight Line Source

    Partner
    $5K – $10M Same day Credit from 500
    8/9 on the record
  10. 78%

    Biz2Credit

    $25K – $2M Decision as fast as 24 hours Credit from 650
    7/9 on the record
  11. 78%

    CAN Capital

    $2K – $400K As fast as the next business day Credit from 600
    7/9 on the record
  12. 78%

    Credibly

    $5K – $10M As fast as 4 hours after approval Credit from 550
    7/9 on the record
published not published Ordered by disclosure, not by what anyone pays us. The score is a count of what a lender publishes, not a rating of the lender.

Lenders that exclude Alaska

A published no is worth as much as a published yes, and almost nobody shows it.

Cashable

What Alaska itself funds

Alaska SSBCI Loan Guarantee ProgramAdministered by Alaska Small Business Development Center (Alaska SBDC, University of Alaska Anchorage), on behalf of the State of Alaska. "provide guarantees for lenders to support loans to qualifying small businesses on a case by case basis" - credit support for businesses that cannot obtain conventional commercial credit. Published amounts: Guarantee "up to 50% of the total loan amount" under the State SSBCI program; "up to 80% for borrowers affiliated with the 125 tribes consortium" under the separate Tribal SSBCI program. Program allocation $54M. Individual loan minimum/maximum, rates and terms are set by the lender and are not published. Eligibility as published: Fewer than 750 employees; operating in Alaska; loans/investments of $20 million or less; principals not registered sex offenders. Ineligible: cannabis businesses, passive real estate, gaming, purchase of owner shares, payoff of existing loans; no concurrent federal funding. Priority for SEDI-owned and Very Small Businesses.
Alaska SSBCI Loan Participation ProgramAdministered by Alaska Small Business Development Center (Alaska SBDC), on behalf of the State of Alaska. "provides both side-by-side loans originated by the lenders and loan purchase options to support loan participation for qualifying small businesses." Published amounts: "Loans supported through this program are expected to range in size from $500,000 to $1,500,000 on average." The program "will purchase up to 50 percent of the total loan, with a maximum of $10 million of Alaska SSBCI funds available." "The majority of loans will average a three-year repayment schedule." State program allocation $0.9M per Alaska SBDC. Eligibility as published: Businesses that traditionally cannot qualify for conventional commercial loans; fewer than 750 employees; operating in Alaska. Priority for "socially and economically disadvantaged individual owned businesses (SEDI) and very small businesses (VSBs)."
Alaska SSBCI Venture Capital / Equity ProgramAdministered by Alaska Small Business Development Center (Alaska SBDC), on behalf of the State of Alaska. Equity and venture investment in Alaska startups and small businesses. Published amounts: Program allocation $5M (State program). Individual investment sizes not published. Eligibility as published: Same SSBCI eligibility as the credit programs: fewer than 750 employees, operating in Alaska, investment of $20 million or less; cannabis, passive real estate and gaming excluded.
Small Business Economic Development Revolving Loan FundAdministered by Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Investments. "To provide private sector employment by financing the start-up and expansion of businesses that will create significant long-term employment." Published amounts: "Maximum loan amount is generally $750,000." "Interest rate is a fixed rate generally below 6%." "Maximum term is generally 20 years for fixed asset loans and generally 5 years for working capital loans." Eligibility as published: Alaskan communities with populations under 30,000 (limited funding may be available in larger areas). SBA size standards: generally fewer than 500 employees, net worth under $6 million, average net income after taxes below $2 million for the preceding two years.
Alaska Microloan ProgramAdministered by Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Investments. "To promote economic development in Alaska by helping small businesses access needed capital." Working capital, equipment, construction or other commercial purposes. Published amounts: "Maximum loan amount is $35,000 to a person or up to $70,000 to two or more persons." "Interest rate will be fixed at the time of loan approval." "Maximum loan term is twelve years." Eligibility as published: Alaska resident for 12 months before application; no child support arrearages; business located in Alaska.
Rural Development Initiative Fund (RDIF)Administered by Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Investments. "provide private sector employment by financing the start-up and expansion of businesses that will create significant long-term employment." Published amounts: "$150,000 to a person or up to $300,000 to two or more people." "Interest rate will be fixed at the time of loan approval." Maximum term "25 years". Eligibility as published: Businesses in communities with a population of 5,000 or fewer that are not connected by road or rail to Anchorage or Fairbanks, OR communities of 2,000 or fewer that are road/rail connected to those cities.
AIDEA Loan Participation ProgramAdministered by Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA). "permanent financing, both taxable and tax-exempt, to borrowers through a qualified originator for the purpose of developing, acquiring or enhancing Alaska business enterprises." Projects must be located in Alaska. Published amounts: AIDEA can "purchase up to 90% of a participating credit to a maximum of $25 million." "Terms can be up to 15 years for personal property or 25 years for real property; the maximum loan-to-value is 75%." Fixed and variable rate options; rates published separately. "$1,100 non-refundable application fee is due at the time the financial institution submits the loan package." Eligibility as published: Borrower must work with "a financial institution eligible to participate in AIDEA's credit programs" (AIDEA publishes the eligible-institution list). Project located in Alaska.
Division of Investments sector revolving loan funds (Commercial Fishing, Commercial Charter Fisheries, Community Quota Entity, Fisheries Enhancement, Mariculture, Alternative Energy Conservation)Administered by Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Investments. Sector-specific lending: commercial fishing vessels, gear and permits; halibut charter permits; halibut and sablefish quota shares for Community Quota Entities; fish hatchery planning, permitting, construction and operation; mariculture planning, construction and operation; and purchase, construction and installation of alternative energy systems for Alaskan commercial business owners. Published amounts: Not recorded - maximum amounts, rates and terms differ by fund and were not captured for each; see the individual program pages. Eligibility as published: Varies by fund; generally Alaska residency and Alaska-located operations. Detailed criteria are on each fund's own page.

Federal money behind these programs

Alaska was allocated $59.9M under the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative, which is what funds most of the credit enhancements above. SSBCI money reaches businesses through participating lenders rather than from the state directly, so the application still goes through a bank or a CDFI.

What we could not confirm

Census figures taken directly from QuickFacts BZA010223 for AK (vintage 2023). SSBCI: Treasury's Capital Program Summaries shows $59.9M for Alaska; Alaska SBDC describes the state program as "approximately $59 million over 10 years" split $54M loan guarantee / $0.9M loan participation / $5M venture capital. SEPARATE from the state allocation, Alaska SBDC also administers an SSBCI Tribal Consortium allocation of $83.1 million over 10 years ($49.9M loan guarantee, $10.3M loan participation, $22.9M venture capital) covering a 125-tribe consortium; that is not part of the state's $59.9M figure. Alaska has no counties; the `county` field holds the borough or census area. Alaska has only three incorporated cities above 10,000 population, so the city list was extended down to 2,000 (2020 decennial census) to make the state usable. Large unincorporated census-designated places in the Matanuska-Susitna and Fairbanks areas (e.g. Knik-Fairview, Badger, College) are NOT included because they are not incorporated cities. The Division of Investments program index page carries no open/closed statements; each program page posts a current application package, which is the basis for appears_active=true.

Cities in Alaska

AnchorageBethelFairbanksJuneauKenaiKetchikanKodiakNomeSitkaWasilla

More for Alaska

GuideSmall business funding in Alaska: freight, boroughs and a lien registry that is not the Secretary of State Distance sets the price of everything Alaska businesses finance, and the state files liens somewhere most funders do not expect.

Business funding in Alaska — common questions

Can I get business funding in Alaska?

Yes. 12 funders in this directory serve businesses in Alaska, and 0 of them name Alaska explicitly in their published availability rather than being included by default.

Does Alaska require lenders to disclose the cost of business financing?

Alaska's position is set out on this page. As of 2026 only a small number of states require a commercial financing disclosure, and in the rest you will not receive one — which means you have to ask for the total dollar cost, the term and every fee in writing yourself.

Are there state programmes for small business capital in Alaska?

3 state-level programmes are recorded here with a link to the administering agency. Programmes open and close, so confirm the current position on the agency's own site before relying on one.

Is a merchant cash advance legal in Alaska?

Commercial financing generally sits outside the consumer credit rules most people have heard of, and most state usury caps do not reach business-purpose transactions. What varies is disclosure, broker registration and lender licensing. This is general information, not legal advice for your situation.

How do I check for liens filed against my business in Alaska?

Through Alaska's UCC filing office, which is named on this page. Search your exact registered entity name — a filing under a slightly different name will not come back, and neither will a stale one nobody terminated.

Which lenders will not fund in Alaska?

Where a funder publishes an excluded-states list, this page shows it. Many publish nothing, which is not the same as being available — it means you have to ask.

Does being based in Alaska change what I pay?

Not directly in most cases. What changes is what you are told before you sign, and what recourse you have afterwards, both of which depend on your state's rules and on the jurisdiction clause in the contract.

What should I have ready before applying?

Three months of business bank statements, your time in business from a verifiable date, average monthly deposits, your entity's good standing, and a clear figure for what you need and what for.

How current is this page?

Every figure carries the date it was checked. Where a check has passed its review date the page says so rather than presenting as current.