The Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) remains in high-demand amid the coronavirus pandemic. Initial funding for that program dried up, and a second PPP funding round debuted April 27, 2020.
Still, the PPP loan pool isn't big enough to serve all small businesses. With that financial shortfall in. mind, ChannelE2E offers this list of alternative lending, financing, loan and debt relief programs for small businesses and channel partners. The programs below are sorted alphabetically, and the list is updated regularly.
Send updates and potential additions to ChannelE2E Content Czar Joe Panettieri ([email protected]).
Originally published April 9, 2020. Updates ongoing thereafter.
Small Business Loans, Financing & Debt Relief Options
Acronis and Lendio: The duo is partnering to help MSPs and channel partners access money more quickly from various sources -- including the CARES Act and PPP program. Acronis is a data protection and cybersecurity software company. Lendio is a marketplace for small business loans in the U.S. Through Lendio’s free service, business owners can fill out one 15-minute loan application and get access to loan options from more than 75 lenders in the U.S. Lendio’s loan advisors advocate on a small business owner’s behalf to help them pinpoint the loan that’s right for their business, the company says.
Cisco Systems has introduced $2.5 billion in special financing and deferred payments for partners and customers. Here are Cisco Capital Business Resiliency Program Details.
ConnectWise Hand Wash Karaoke: The IT management and business automation software provider is running this program to raise money for technology solutions providers (TSPs). Check in with your ConnectWise representative for more info.
D&H Distributing has established several new credit options along with finance partners including DLL for qualified D&H partners. The options include...
- Device as a Service (DaaS): The program provides financing options for SMB VARs to support their end-customers. The program includes low, predictable, fixed payments, plus an initial 90-day deferment period. It's valid through July 31, 2020, with 24-month and 36-month contract term lengths available. DaaS options include notebooks, workstations, desktops, thin-clients, and tablets.
- Finance Programs, for qualified partners:
- DLL and one additional D&H finance partner is offering 60-day terms for all orders placed through D&H until the end of June. D&H is the only distributor to be granted such terms from these partners.
- Lenovo’s 60-day program has been extended to a 90-day term through the end of June. Resellers can take advantage of this offer channel-wide.
- Existing D&H Programs to Support VARs include:
- Ongoing credit increases: The distributor has rolled-out more than $180 million in credit in Fiscal Year 2020 to-date (May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020). Close to $50 million in credit increases were extended in March 2020 alone, supporting 200 customers.
- The Assignment of Funds Program: This no-cost financing program eliminates obstacles for orders from larger end-users with significant credit, such as schools and government agencies, streamlining the credit process.
- D&H Leasing Programs: The distributor offers competitive programs with flexible terms for 12-month, 24-month, and 36-month leases.
For more information on D&H’s current program, plus additional finance partners and programs, please visit D&H’s Financial Services page or email [email protected] for information. New D&H partners can visit the following link to apply for DLL’s offering. Call (800) 877-1200 to speak to a D&H credit representative.
Dell Technologies: Dell is offering $9 billion in financing, zero percent interest rates, and first payment deferment of up to 180 days.
Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Emergency Advance: Provides an advance, which does not need to be repaid, of up to $10,000 within three days of applying for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan.
GreatAmerica Financial Services: Check in directly with the channel-savvy financing firm for details about their COVID-19 partner financing efforts.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise: HPE is designating more than $2 billion in financing specifically to help customers with their financial challenges stemming from the COVID-19 crisis, including cash-flow or liquidity issues. HPE Financial Services is also introducing a Payment Relief Program to help customers acquire new technology.
HP Inc.: In partnership with its endorsed finance partners, HP’s Integrated Financial Solutions group is now offering a variety of financial and asset lifecycle options, including deferred/reduced payments until 2021, short term rentals and cash infusion for customer-owned HP devices through a sale leaseback program, the company says.
Ingram Micro: The distributor continues to expand its special financing programs in the United States and Canada. The programs are designed to assist partners as they navigate coronavirus-related business challenges. Two updates include:
- 90-Day Same as Cash, which allows channel partners to offer customers the flexibility to lease or pay cash for new technology purchasing after 90 days.
- Ingram Micro is also adding more time to terms with its Bakers Dozen, which extends a typical 12-month financing deal to 13 payments at no additional charge.
- Details for both new offers can be found here.
- In addition, Ingram Micro has lowered the financing terms for its new Future Funds program from 1.5% to 1 % of the total purchase price.
Additional Ingram Micro efforts, announced in March 2020, include:
- New Ingram Micro Kickstart Financing and Future Funds Programs;
- $100 million in additional credit to U.S. partners; and $10 million to Canadian partners. That overall effort spans approximately 2,000 channel partners across North America;
- waiving financial services fees; and
- exclusive payment terms to members of Ingram Micro Trust X Alliance and SMB Alliance Communities.
Here are additional details for the financing efforts:
- KickStart Financing and Future Funds: The programs, available immediately to U.S. and Canadian partners, “allow channel partners additional cash flow options to finance the technology, services and support needed in real-time, allowing for more complete solutions to be sold together,” the distributor says.
- Future Funds: Features interest only payments for six months and starting payments as low as 1.5% of the total purchase price. At month seven the customer is presented a choice to pay off the balance or finance for an additional 12 to 60 months.
- More Options: Additional Ingram Micro financing solutions for U.S. and Canadian channel partners include Direct Express, Technology as a Service, End-user Financing, Manufacturer Financing, Lockbox Solutions.
More information about Ingram Micro financial solutions is available here.
NEW - IT By Design (ITBD): The provider of engineering talent to IT service providers is giving back more than $200,000 to the MSP community. The new ReBuild IT program is open to MSPs with fewer than 50 employees that experienced at least a 10% revenue loss in the first half of 2020 due to the economic shutdown.
Kaseya Cares: The IT management and business automation software provider rolled out a $10.5 million program to assist MSPs and customers. The effort includes (1) Government Relief Navigation, (2) Business Guidance and (3) Direct Financial Assistance.
Main Street Lending Program: This is a U.S. Federal Research to assist businesses with between 500 and 10,000 employees, and $10 million to $2 billion in revenue. Find Main Street Lending Program information here.
North Avenue Capital (NAC): The commercial lender provides PPP loan alternatives that can lend up to $25 million in financing across all projects with most amortization periods exceeding 20 years. Further, NAC funds are typically being used for more than just payroll including: Expansion, acquisition of equipment, and working capital. If businesses aren’t sure whether they are eligible, NAC provides their clients with the only extensive USDA eligibility map in the country, which can be viewed here: northavenue.com/map/.
Salesforce will be offering Salesforce Care Small Business Grants of $10,000 to provide capital to help keep businesses afloat, the cloud CRM software provider says. The grant application will be available to US businesses in mid-April. Also, Salesforce is providing free access to Salesforce Essentials to help small businesses engage and support their customers remotely, as well as Tableau so they can quickly make data-driven decisions. A resource page for small businesses features articles and webinars from small business experts.
SBA Debt Relief: The SBA is providing a financial reprieve to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SBA Express Bridge Loans: Enables small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 quickly.
Small Business Payroll Tax Deferments: If you own a small business, you might be able to defer paying the employer portion of payroll taxes without paying a penalty, Wealthfront explains:
"Employers who have not had a loan forgiven under the CARES Act can defer payment of the employer share of the 6.2% Social Security payroll tax otherwise due on employee wages for the period from March 27, 2020 through December 31, 2020. The employer may extend payment of the employment taxes owed for this period over the following two years, with half paid by December 31, 2021 and half paid by December 31, 2022. Similar provisions allow the self-employed to defer payment of the 12.4% self-employment tax otherwise due on self-employment earnings for March 27, 2020 through December 31, 2020. These amounts must also be paid over the following two years, with half paid by the end of 2021 and the other half by the end of 2022."
Your 401K and IRA - Early Withdraws: There’s usually a penalty if you withdraw from your retirement accounts early (before age 59.5) – this includes 401(k)s and IRAs, Wealthfront notes. But The CARES Act changes that. Wealthfront explains:
"This bill waives the 10% early withdrawal penalty for distributions up to $100,000 for coronavirus-related purposes. This means you can withdraw from an IRA or 401(k) early, and while your withdrawals will still be taxed, those taxes are waived if you return the funds within three years, If you don’t return the funds, the taxes you owe will be spread over three years beginning with your 2020 tax return and ending when you file your 2022 tax return."
Small Business CrowdFunding to Raise Cash
If you want to quickly sell stock in your small business to raise cash, the SEC is temporarily loosening small business equity crowdfunding regulations through August 31, 2020. Details are here. Among the potential regulated crowdfunding platforms that small businesses can use: Wefunder and StartEngine. ChannelE2E links to those sites for informational purposes, and does not endorse them.
Under the temporary exemption, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal:
- Small business owners don't need an independent audit of their financial statements if they sell between $107,000 and $250,000 in securities within a 12-month period.
- A 21-day waiting period before using the funds has been waived.
- The exemptions only apply to fundraising done by the end of August 2020 and by companies that have been organized and operated for at least six months before the crowdfunding offering begins.
Other Places to Check
We're poking around and looking for updates from such financial organizations as:
Send updates to ChannelE2E Content Czar Joe Panettieri ([email protected]).
