ND · State guide

Business loans in North Dakota

North Dakota 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 7 state programs on file with published terms.

2 cities covered Checked 14 Sep 2026
Get funding in North Dakota See the shortlist

Where to start in North Dakota

No lender here publishes a state-by-state availability list naming ND, 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 North Dakota

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

Biz2CreditBriteCap Financial

What North Dakota itself funds

PACE Program (Partnership in Assisting Community Expansion)Administered by Bank of North Dakota, with local lenders and local economic development entities. Interest-rate buydown on loans to primary sector businesses. "Proceeds may be used to purchase real property, equipment, and certain working capital requirements." Cannot refinance existing debt or fund relocations within North Dakota. Published amounts: No maximum loan limit specified. Interest rate fixed or variable; "may be as much as 5.00% below the promissory note rate, but not less than 5.00% below Prime" (floor of 1.00%). BND buydown ranges from $100,000 to $500,000 per biennium based on investment tiers ($750,000-$4,500,000+) or jobs created (2-20+); community match 65-85% of buydown cost. $250 minimum origination fee. Terms: working capital 1-5 years, equipment 5-7 years, real estate up to 20 years. Eligibility as published: Primary sector businesses as defined by NDCC 1-01-49 and certified by the North Dakota Department of Commerce - businesses that create "new wealth" by selling products or services to out-of-state customers or providing previously unavailable in-state services.
Flex PACE ProgramAdministered by Bank of North Dakota, with local lenders and local economic development entities. Interest-rate buydown for businesses that do not qualify for standard PACE, where the local community determines the business meets a community need. "Proceeds may be used to purchase real property, equipment and certain working capital requirements." Variants support child care facilities and affordable housing. Published amounts: "There are no maximum loan parameters." Interest rate buydowns capped at $200,000 per business project, $300,000 for child care, $500,000 for affordable housing. Borrower rate may be "as much as 5.00% below the rate on the promissory note, but not less than 5.00% below Prime" with a 1.00% floor. $250 minimum origination fee. Terms: working capital 1-5 years, equipment 5-7 years, real estate up to 20 years. Eligibility as published: "Any person or entity whose business is located in the state of North Dakota." The local community determines eligibility and contributes matching funds.
Beginning Entrepreneur Loan GuaranteeAdministered by Bank of North Dakota, with originating local lenders. Loan guarantee to an originating lender providing business start-up financing. Proceeds may fund "Purchase or improvements of real property, equipment or personal property" and "Working capital needs," plus startup expenses such as accounting and legal fees. Refinancing permitted if it does not exceed 20% of the total guaranteed amount. Published amounts: Guarantee tiers: up to $150,000 = 85% guaranteed; $150,001-$300,000 = 75%; $300,001-$500,000 = 50%. Maximum loan $500,000. Lenders set interest rates subject to BND approval; borrowers may receive one year of interest-only payments. Fees: 0.50% annually or a one-time 2.00% charge on the guaranteed portion. "The term of the BND guarantee may not exceed five years." Eligibility as published: North Dakota residents who completed high school or earned a GED, have training or experience in the proposed business type, and have a net worth below $500,000.
Business Development Loan ProgramAdministered by Bank of North Dakota, with a lead local lender. "Assists new and existing businesses to obtain loans that have a higher degree of risk than would normally be acceptable to a lending institution." Uses: starting or purchasing a business, real property acquisition, remodeling or expansion, equipment purchase or lease, working capital, refinancing existing debt. Published amounts: Maximum BND participation $1,000,000. BND variable rate: 0.50% below Prime, adjusted daily, monthly or quarterly. BND fixed rate: 2.25% above the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Advance Rate (5-year maximum lock). Origination fee up to 1.00% of total loan, shared with BND. Terms: real estate 12-20 years, equipment 5-7 years, working capital 1-5 years. Eligibility as published: Business located in North Dakota where "the financial condition or the nature of the industry must lead to a higher credit risk."
Bank Participation Loan ProgramAdministered by Bank of North Dakota, with local financial institutions. BND buys a participation when a borrower's financing need exceeds the lender's legal lending or exposure limit. Uses: business acquisitions, construction and modernization, land, building and equipment purchases, start-up and working capital, refinancing, and "Any reasonable business purpose." Published amounts: Loan amounts "Negotiable" with no specified maximum or minimum. Rates are "market driven," factoring in risk, collateral liquidity, equity position and loan term. "Commitment fees, origination fees and service fees may be charged." Maturities: real estate 12-20 years, equipment 5-7 years, working capital 3-5 years. Eligibility as published: "A North Dakota business." Adequate collateral required - accounts receivable, equipment, federal securities, letters of credit, or first mortgages on commercial property.
Accelerated Growth Loan ProgramAdministered by Bank of North Dakota, participating with a lead lender. Supports North Dakota technology companies with "solid operations, good management and strong cash flow" that want to expand but lack traditional collateral. Uses: real property acquisition, remodeling/expansion, equipment purchase, working capital, and refinancing capped at 30% of the new loan. Published amounts: Maximum $3,000,000 or 9x monthly recurring revenue, whichever is greater. Term up to 10 years. BND charges "2.00% above Prime, adjusted annually." Up to 1% origination fee; 0.50% servicing fee maximum. Eligibility as published: ND-based technology companies showing either sales growth projections of 15% or greater over three years, or "minimum monthly recurring revenues of $50,000 per month." SaaS companies need an 85% minimum net annual revenue retention rate. A lead lender partnership is required; BND participates with a minimum 10% share.
MATCH ProgramAdministered by Bank of North Dakota, with local lenders. "Provides low interest rates to encourage and attract financially strong companies to North Dakota." Covers "real estate, term working capital, purchase or lease equipment." Published amounts: Maximum loan amount depends on "funding availability and loan demand at the time of the loan application." Fixed rates based on "United States Treasury rate + 0.25%" for the BND portion. Origination fees capped at 1.00% of total loan; lenders may charge additional service fees. Terms vary by purpose with a 20-year maximum. Eligibility as published: Established North Dakota businesses with a "long-term investment grade rating." Companies without an adequate rating can qualify via a bank/credit union letter of credit or pledged securities, a federal guaranty agency guarantee or a guarantee from another investment-grade company, or a pledged certificate of deposit or marketable securities. First lien on real estate and equipment required.

Programs whose current status is not stated

These are published on official pages that say nothing about whether applications are open. We have not assumed either way — confirm with the administrator before you plan around one.

North Dakota Development Fund, Inc. (NDDF)Flexible gap financing for "new and expanding primary sector businesses in North Dakota" through direct loans, participation loans, subordinated debt and equity investments. NDDF also administers the Regional Rural Revolving Loan Fund, Angel Match Program and Child Care Loan Program. Published amounts: Investments of up to $3,000,000. Interest rates and repayment terms are not published on the page.
Legacy Investment for Technology Loan Fund (LIFT)Finances the commercialization of intellectual property within North Dakota.

Federal money behind these programs

North Dakota was allocated $58,641,843 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

Cities: 16 cities, taken down to about 4,000 population because North Dakota has only 14 cities at or above 5,000 by the 2025 estimate. Populations are 2025 estimates from the ranked table (rank 1-25 transcribed in full); the same table also carries 2020 census counts. Note that Lincoln (4,493) and Grafton (4,023) fall below 5,000 and are included only to give the state reasonable depth. An earlier filtered fetch of this page returned only 12 cities and wrongly reported 'Ruso' as the last entry alphabetically, having silently dropped Valley City and Watford City; the ranked transcription was used instead. Programs: Bank of North Dakota is a genuine state-owned bank and nearly all of the state's business lending runs through it, generally in participation with, or as a guarantee to, a local lender rather than direct to borrowers. No expired or closed programs were found on BND or ND Commerce pages. Three programs carry null status or detail fields where the source publishes nothing: NDDF and LIFT (no application-status statement), and LIFT also lacks published amounts. BND's business index lists further programs not profiled here (Bank Stock Loan, Bulk Propane Storage Tank Revolving Loan Fund, Clean Sustainable Energy Authority Loan Fund, Export Enhancement, Flex PACE for Affordable Housing, SBA and USDA Guaranteed Loan Purchase, Value-added Guarantee Loan, Venture Capital Fund) plus a full agricultural lending suite. SSBCI: no North Dakota-specific Treasury release or state SSBCI page was found.

Cities in North Dakota

BismarckFargo

More for North Dakota

GuideSmall business funding in North Dakota: a state-owned bank, and a licence requirement that reaches commercial lending North Dakota's money broker licence covers commercial as well as consumer lending, which is rare and worth using.

Business funding in North Dakota — common questions

Can I get business funding in North Dakota?

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

Does North Dakota require lenders to disclose the cost of business financing?

North Dakota'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 North Dakota?

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 North Dakota?

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 North Dakota?

Through North Dakota'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 North Dakota?

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 North Dakota 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.