Cal Coastal

Community Development Lendingcalcoastal.org

Cal Coastal is a California-chartered nonprofit CDFI founded in 1982 that provides direct loans and loan guarantees, ranging from $5,000 to $5 million, to small businesses and family farmers on California's Central Coast and statewide via partner banks.

Company typePrivate
Founded1982
HeadquartersSalinas, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Cal Coastal does

California Coastal Rural Development Corporation, operating as Cal Coastal, is a California-chartered nonprofit public-benefit corporation founded in 1982 and headquartered in Salinas, California. It functions as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) providing direct loans and loan guarantees to small businesses and family farms that lack access to conventional bank financing, primarily on California's Central Coast (Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Benito counties) with statewide reach on several programs.

Cal Coastal's product portfolio consists of eight distinct loan programs: a USDA Farm Service Agency-guaranteed Direct Farm Loan ($10K–$2.251M); an SBA Microloan ($5K–$50K, fixed at prime + 4% capped at 7.75%); an Intermediary Relending Program for rural businesses ($25K–$250K, prime + 3.5% with 7% floor); the Monterey County Revolving Loan Fund ($5K–$400K with job-creation covenants); an SBA 504 / Community Advantage 7(a) program; a Loan Guarantee Program (up to 80% / $5M) executed through a network of 20+ partner banks; and the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund. Revenue is generated through small transaction-based fees (2.0–3.35% origination, plus $200–$250 documentation fees) and, for direct loans, variable-rate interest income tied to COFI or the prime rate.

The organization operates from offices in Salinas, Santa Maria, and Santa Barbara with a small staff (~10–50 employees) led by President/CEO Lee T. Takikawa, a 25-year USDA Rural Development veteran. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, distributing through direct in-person origination, partner bank referrals, and partnerships with the California SBDC network, SCORE, local chambers of commerce, and Farm Bureau. Over its 40-year history, Cal Coastal has originated thousands of loans to underserved borrowers and has received federal CDFI Fund capital to support continued on-lending.

Cal Coastal firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Cal Coastal
Legal name: California Coastal Rural Development Corporation
Website: https://calcoastal.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1982
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Cal Coastal is a California-chartered nonprofit CDFI founded in 1982 that provides direct loans and loan guarantees, ranging from $5,000 to $5 million, to small businesses and family farmers on California's Central Coast and statewide via partner banks.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Cal Coastal industry classification

Industry

Product category: Community Development Lending
NAICS: Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)
SIC: Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)
akta.pro primary industry: SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)
akta.pro secondary industries: SBA/USDA Government-Backed Loan Intermediation (FSAEAEAI), SME Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Lending (FSABABAG), Construction & Development (C&D) Lending — Commercial/Multifamily (FSALADAH)

Keywords

Community development lending
Agricultural loans
Small business loans
Loan guarantee programs
Micro loans

Where Cal Coastal is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Salinas
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

Cal Coastal business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Loan Interest Income: Interest income from direct loans to small businesses and farmers, with variable rates tied to prime rate or National indices.
Loan Guarantee Fees: Fee-based revenue from guarantee program: 2.50% of guaranteed portion for loans up to $2,500,000; 2.25% for guarantees over $2,500,000. Plus $250 documentation fee.
Farm Loan Fees: 3.35% fee plus closing costs on farm loans.
Monterey County Revolving Loan Fees: $200 non-refundable application fee plus 2.00% of loan amount due at funding, plus closing costs.
Micro Loan Fees: Up to 3.00% of loan amount plus $250 documentation fee.
Intermediary Relending Fees: 2.5% of loan amount.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Direct Farm Loans: $10,000 to $2,251,000
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Micro Loans: $5,000 to $50,000
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Intermediary Relending: $25,000 to $250,000
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Monterey County Revolving Loan: $5,000 to $400,000
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Loan Guarantee: up to 80% guarantee, max $5,000,000

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Cal Coastal product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Cal Coastal is a nonprofit community development financial institution that provides direct loans, loan guarantees, and intermediary relending programs to small businesses and family farmers along California's Central Coast. The organization operates multiple distinct loan facilities, including farm loans, SBA micro loans, Community Advantage 7(a) loans, Monterey County revolving loan funds, and Underground Storage Tank Cleanup financing, funded through USDA Farm Service Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration, State of California guarantee authorities, and partner institutional bank capital.

Product overview

California Coastal Rural Development Corporation (Cal Coastal) operates as a nonprofit commercial lender offering eight distinct loan programs to small businesses and farmers on California's Central Coast. The product portfolio includes Direct Farm Loans (backed by USDA FSA guarantees), SBA Micro Loans, the Intermediary Relending Program for rural businesses, the Monterey County Revolving Loan Fund, a Loan Guarantee Program (80% guarantee up to $5M), Community Advantage 7(a) Loans, and the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund. Typical loan amounts range from $5,000 to $5,000,000 for building purchase, machinery, equipment, inventory, or working capital. The organization has served thousands of small businesses since 1982.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Farm Loans
SBA Micro Loans
Intermediary Relending Program
Monterey County Revolving Loan Fund
Loan Guarantee Programs
Community Advantage 7(a) Loan
Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund
Partner-Bank Participation Lending

Companies that use Cal Coastal

Customer profile

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Cal Coastal technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Cal Coastal partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

California SBDC (Small Business Development Center)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional SBDC network partners: Central Coast SBDC, EDC SBDC, Santa Cruz SBDC, Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo SBDC.
Wells Fargo BankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor banking partner participating in Cal Coastal's loan guarantee programs.
RabobankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor banking partner (formerly Mechanics Bank) participating in loan guarantee programs.
Pacific Western BankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partner participating in loan guarantee and intermediary relending programs.
Heritage Bank of CommercemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional bank partner in Monterey County area for loan guarantee programs.
American Riviera BankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSanta Barbara-based banking partner for loan guarantee programs.
Pinnacle BankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMorgan Hill/Salinas-based banking partner for loan guarantee programs.
Montecito Bank & TrustmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMontecito-based banking partner for loan guarantee programs.
Pacific Valley BankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional bank partner for loan guarantee programs.
Monterey County BankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal banking partner serving Monterey County through loan guarantee programs.
Premier Valley BankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional banking partner for loan guarantee programs.
Pacific Premier BankmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partner (formerly Mission Community Bank) for loan guarantee programs.
CoastHills Credit UnionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCredit union partner for loan guarantee programs.
Union BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partner (includes former Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, San Benito Bank, South Valley National Bank) for loan programs.
Santa Cruz Community Credit UnionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCredit union partner for loan guarantee programs.
Lompoc Community BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDivision of Community Bank of Santa Maria for loan programs.
West Coast Community BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFormerly Santa Cruz County Bank, partner for loan programs.
SCOREminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall business mentorship organization providing advisory support to Cal Coastal clients.
California Jump Start Loan ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState of California program (iBank) for small business financing, coordinated through Cal Coastal.
Salinas Valley Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chamber partnership for business networking and referrals.
Farm Bureau MontereyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural organization partnership for farmer referrals and agricultural community engagement.
Monterey Peninsula Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chamber partnership for business networking.
San Benito County Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chamber partnership for business referrals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Cal Coastal competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

U.S. Small Business Administration: Federal agency administering SBA loan guarantee programs that Cal Coastal distributes through. Core enabling partner whose program rules and appropriations directly affect Cal Coastal's product portfolio and revenue.
USDA Rural Development (California State Office): Federal agency providing loans and grants for rural business and infrastructure development. Relevant as a program partner and funder whose policy direction heavily influences Cal Coastal's product availability.

Direct peers

DreamSpring: National nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans and support to underserved entrepreneurs. Comparable as a CDFI offering microloans and small business lending with similar SBA Microloan program participation.
Lift Fund: Texas-based nonprofit CDFI offering small business microloans and community development lending. Directly comparable mission-driven small business lender operating SBA microloan and similar programs.
Pacific Community Ventures: California-based nonprofit CDFI delivering capital, coaching, and connections to small businesses in underserved communities. Overlaps with Cal Coastal on SMB lending, CDFI funding model, and California geographic footprint.
Valley Small Business Development Corporation: California-based nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans and SBA programs; the CEO of Cal Coastal previously served as VP/Senior Loan Officer there. Most directly comparable organization given identical mission, geography, and product set.
CDC Small Business Finance: California-headquartered nonprofit CDFI and SBA Preferred Lender providing SBA 504 and 7(a) loans to small businesses. Direct overlap on SBA 504 and Community Advantage 7(a) lending programs.

Broad incumbents

Accion: Global nonprofit microfinance and small business lending organization. Comparable as a broader mission-driven small business credit provider, though Accion operates at much greater scale and geographic breadth than Cal Coastal.
Kiva: Nonprofit crowdfunding platform facilitating 0% interest loans to small businesses globally. Comparable as mission-driven small business capital provider, though operating a fundamentally different (crowdfunding) distribution model.
Grameen America: National nonprofit microfinance organization providing small loans to entrepreneurs. Comparable on nonprofit microlending mission and underserved borrower focus, though specialized in microfinance rather than SBA/USDA programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Cal Coastal compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance1 record

Cal Coastal financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Cal Coastal leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Cal Coastal funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Cal Coastal M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cal Coastal

What does Cal Coastal do?

Is Cal Coastal a public or private company?

Cal Coastal is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Cal Coastal founded?

Cal Coastal was founded in 1982. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Cal Coastal based?

Cal Coastal is headquartered in Salinas, United States, in the North America region.

How does Cal Coastal make money?

Six revenue lines are on record. Loan Interest Income is the primary driver. The others are loan Guarantee Fees, farm Loan Fees, monterey County Revolving Loan Fees, micro Loan Fees and intermediary Relending Fees.

Who are Cal Coastal's main competitors?

Others on record are U.S. Small Business Administration and USDA Rural Development (California State Office). Direct peers are DreamSpring, Lift Fund, Pacific Community Ventures, Valley Small Business Development Corporation and CDC Small Business Finance. Broad incumbents are Accion, Kiva and Grameen America.

Does Cal Coastal have an API?

No public API is recorded for Cal Coastal.

What industry is Cal Coastal in?

Cal Coastal's product category is Community Development Lending. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAGAI, SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans, with a secondary code of FSAEAEAI, SBA/USDA Government-Backed Loan Intermediation. Its NAICS code is 5221 and its SIC code is 6159.