Calvert Impact and Next Street are seeking organizations to serve as
Marketing Referral Partners for the
Washington Small Business Flex Fund, a program implemented by the Washington State Department of Commerce under the State Small Business Credit Initiative. These Marketing Referral Partners will support the Fund in an elevated marketing campaign around the Fund offerings for small business borrowers.
To apply as a Marketing Referral Partner for the Fund, we seek mission-driven organizations that:
- Are located within Washington state
- Are considered a business support organization, economic development corporation or small business development center
- Serve historically underserved and underbanked small business populations
- Have the staffing and resources to conduct marketing and outreach on behalf of the Fund from May 15 - July 31, 2025
The Washington Small Business Flex Fund is helping small businesses and nonprofits across Washington access affordable loans they need to thrive. Many small businesses and nonprofits in Washington state experience significant barriers to accessing the financial resources they need to develop and grow. This program aims to provide quality, flexible and affordable loan products for them through a network of Department of Commerce-approved community lenders, known as community development financial institutions (CDFIs).
With competitive interest rates and flexible repayment options, the Fund is designed to help small businesses and nonprofits access funds to grow and thrive through a quick pre-application that will match them with available loan providers and products, as well as technical assistance providers.
Learn more here.
A small business is eligible to apply for the Fund if they have:
- Fewer than 50 employees
- Annual revenues of less than $5 million
- Been in business for at least one year prior to time of application
Successful loans closed via one of the featured lenders enrolled with the Fund have the following flexible uses for small business borrowers:
- Payroll
- Utilities & rent
- Marketing & advertising
- Building improvements or repairs
- Other business expenses
Application Details:
This spring, the Fund will activate a Marketing Referral Partner network that will focus on outreach and marketing efforts on behalf of the program, with a particular emphasis on reaching SEDI small businesses (socially and economically disadvantaged individuals).
Marketing Referral Partners will receive $7,500 in funding for an 11-week (2.5 month) contract, May 15 - July 31, 2025.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please use this application to submit information about your organization’s ability to serve as a Marketing Referral Partner for the Fund, due no later than
Friday, April 18 at 5:00pm PT. Selected partners will be notified by Friday, April 25 and should be prepared to start the onboarding process the week of April 28.
Selection of Marketing Referral Partners will be determined by Next Street and Calvert Impact based on a Marketing Referral Partner Selection Policy development on behalf of the Fund.
Please review the Selection Policy here.
For questions about the application process, please reach out to Joelle Scillia, Senior Manager Marketing at Next Street at jscillia@nextstreet.com.
About Calvert Impact:
The Access Small Business program by Calvert Impact, a global impact investment firm, leverages funds from the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to bring access to capital and technical assistance to historically un- and under-banked small businesses across participating states as well as access to capital markets for community lenders. The Access program builds on the successful implementation of Calvert Impact’s recovery funds structure to reach and deploy capital to small business owners. The program is currently live and administering SSBCI-supported Loan Participation Programs in Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Nevada.
Learn more about the Access program here: Access Small Business Program | Calvert Impact
About Next Street:
Next Street is currently supporting SSBCI implementation for states across the country as a partner for the Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE), housed by the Milken institute. Funding provided to IIE allows us to implement go-to-market strategies and support in key states, and we are thrilled to partner in Washington with Calvert Impact to help amplify efforts around the Small Business Flex Fund program. For more than 20 years, corporations, governments, and philanthropies have hired Next Street to strengthen the small businesses they rely on. Learn more about our mission-driven firm.
Thank you!