What Dakota Business Lending does

Dakota Business Lending is a private Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, and operating across North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota through five regional offices (Fargo, Bozeman, Sioux Falls, Worthington, Lewistown). Founded in 1982 with 11-50 employees, the firm provides fixed-rate, below-market small business financing via three core loan products: the SBA 504 Loan Program for commercial real estate and equipment acquisition (10-year rate 6.206%, 20-year 6.209%, 25-year 6.176% as of July 2026); the SBA 504 Debt Refinance product ($25,000-$5M, up to $5.5M); the Direct Business Loan (DBL) micro-loan program ($1,000-$75,000, formerly branded as Community Impact Loans); and the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program for transformative projects in low-income communities, executed through its DBL Equity Partners subsidiary. The firm also offers Montana SSBCI capital and an owned-media support ecosystem branded ACTIVATE (Program, U Podcast, Magazine, Events), plus the Entrepreneur District community, The Vault resource library, business worksheets, and a 504 Calculator.

The go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, with referral relationships with regional banks (documented co-lending with Alerus Bank) and economic development organizations driving bottom-of-funnel deal flow, supplemented by content marketing, success-story publishing, and direct outreach through regional offices. Revenue mechanics derive from net interest spread on originated loans, gains on sale of SBA 504 debentures, and fees tied to NMTC allocation and deployment; the customer base is exclusively SMB borrowers across highly fragmented industries including manufacturing, oil and gas, liquor retail, restaurants, breweries, healthcare, and construction, with no large enterprise anchors. Competitive advantages rest on CDFI regulatory status enabling capital access (SBA 504, NMTC, SSBCI), below-market rate pass-through, low 10% equity requirements, and 42 years of regional relationship capital in an Upper Midwest market underserved by conventional SBA lenders.

Name

Dakota Business Lending

Legal name

Dakota Business Lending

Website

https://dakotabusinesslending.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dakota Business Lending is a U.S. Treasury-certified CDFI that provides SBA 504, Direct Business Loan, and New Markets Tax Credit financing to small businesses across North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota, supplemented by an ACTIVATE entrepreneur support ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Commercial Lending

NAICS

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522), Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162), Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

SBA/USDA Government-Backed Loan Intermediation (FSAEAEAI), Construction & Development (C&D) Lending — Commercial/Multifamily (FSALADAH)

Keywords

• SBA 504 lending
• Small business lending
• Community development finance
• Commercial real estate financing
• New Markets Tax Credits

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. SBA 504 Loans: Long-term, fixed-rate financing for commercial real estate and equipment through the SBA 504 program. Structured as a three-part loan involving a bank, certified development company, and borrower injection.
2. SBA 504 Debt Refinance: Refinancing of existing commercial real estate debt with long-term fixed rates. Loan amounts from $25,000 to $5 million (up to $5.5 million in certain cases).
3. Direct Business Loans (DBL): Flexible financing for startups and existing businesses, ranging from $1,000 to $75,000. Designed to fill gaps where other financing programs cannot.
4. New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC): High-impact financing for businesses in distressed areas. Funded through DBL Equity Partners who monetizes tax credits to fill financing gaps for transformative projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Dakota Business Lending is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that originates SBA 504 loans for commercial real estate and equipment, SBA 504 Debt Refinance loans, Direct Business Loans (DBL) from $1,000 to $75,000 for gap financing, and New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) financing for transformative projects in distressed communities. The company serves small businesses across North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota through four regional offices and bank partner referrals.

Product overview

Dakota Business Lending is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) offering a portfolio of loan programs centered around SBA 504 financing, supplemented by the Direct Business Loan (DBL) and New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) programs. The SBA 504 Loan Program serves as the core offering for long-term commercial real estate and equipment financing with fixed, below-market rates. The SBA 504 Debt Refinance enables businesses to restructure existing debt, while the DBL Program addresses smaller financing needs ($1,000-$75,000) for startups and growing businesses that fall outside traditional lending criteria. The NMTC Program provides high-impact financing for transformative projects in distressed communities. Beyond direct lending, the company offers complementary support through its ACTIVATE ecosystem—comprising the ACTIVATE Program, ACTIVATE U Podcast, ACTIVATE Magazine, and ACTIVATE Events—which delivers educational resources, community networking, and business development tools. Additional resources include the Entrepreneur District community program, The Vault resource center, and Business Worksheets templates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DBL Equity Partners: An entity of Dakota Business Lending that handles New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program financing, including allocating, monetizing, and investing tax credits to fill financing gaps in qualifying projects.

Products and services

• SBA 504 Loan Program Long-term, fixed-rate financing program for commercial real estate and equipment acquisition. Structured as a three-party loan involving a participating bank, a certified development company (Dakota Business Lending), and a borrower equity injection of 10% or more, designed to support job creation and retention through below-market interest rates.
• SBA 504 Debt Refinance Long-term, fixed-rate refinancing option for restructuring existing commercial real estate debt and cashing out equity for working capital. Loan amounts range from $25,000 to $5 million, up to $5.5 million in certain cases. The straight-refinance rate is set 0.025% above the posted SBA 504 rates.
• Direct Business Loan (DBL) Program Flexible gap-financing product for startups and existing businesses, providing loan amounts from $1,000 to $75,000 where other financing programs cannot serve the borrower. Formerly branded as the Community Impact Loan program.
• New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program High-impact financing for qualifying businesses operating in distressed areas. Administered through DBL Equity Partners, an entity of Dakota Business Lending, which monetizes federal New Markets Tax Credit allocations to fill financing gaps for transformative community-development projects in low-income census tracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• SBA 504 loans offer fixed below-market interest rates with low down payments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alerus BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlerus Bank partnered with Dakota Business Lending on SBA 504 loans, as demonstrated in the Border Construction success story. The partnership allows businesses to access SBA 504 financing with combined bank and DBL participation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mountain West Small Business Finance: Mountain West Small Business Finance is a Certified Development Company (CDC) that originates SBA 504 loans across multiple states, directly comparable to Dakota Business Lending's SBA 504 program and CDC structure serving underserved markets.
• CDC Small Business Finance: CDC Small Business Finance is one of the largest non-bank SBA 504 lenders in the U.S., offering comparable long-term fixed-rate financing for owner-occupied commercial real estate and equipment — a close analog in product and structure to DBL.
• National Development Council: National Development Council is a national nonprofit economic development organization operating CDCs and SBA 504 lending programs, with a closely analogous CDC/SBA structure and small business focus to Dakota Business Lending.
• Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI): CEI is a CDFI providing small business loans, SBA financing, and NMTC allocations to underserved communities in Maine and nationally — directly comparable to DBL on CDFI status, mission focus, and multi-program lending stack.
• Capital Impact Partners: Capital Impact Partners is a national CDFI that deploys capital to underserved small businesses and community projects using SBA, NMTC, and direct loan products — operating a similar impact-lending model to Dakota Business Lending.
• Accion Opportunity Fund: Accion Opportunity Fund is a CDFI providing small dollar loans and SBA 504/7(a) financing to underserved small business owners — directly comparable to DBL's mission, CDFI status, and SMB loan products.
• Grameen America: Grameen America is a CDFI providing microloans and small business financing to underserved entrepreneurs — comparable to DBL's Direct Business Loan program ($1K-$75K) for startups and unbanked borrowers.

Others

• Opportunity Finance Network (OFN): OFN is the national network of CDFIs and an intermediary that channels capital to community development lenders like Dakota Business Lending, providing funding sources, peer benchmarking, and policy advocacy.
• National Association of Development Companies (NADCO): NADCO is the trade association representing CDCs that deliver SBA 504 financing; it represents the institutional peer set of which DBL is a member and provides funding, training, and advocacy relevant to DBL's core program.

Broad incumbents

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): LISC is one of the largest U.S. CDFIs providing small business loans, NMTC allocations, and community development financing — a broader incumbent with overlapping programs but national scope rather than DBL's regional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DakotaBizLend
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6sFI2om1fXY11wOPtnMQGg
• Facebookfacebook.com/DakotaBizLend
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dakota-business-lending

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Dakota Business Lending