SCTBDC was formed in 1982 and is licensed as a certified development company (CDC) by the Small Business Administration to provide financial assistance to small business under the 504 program. The 504 program is designed to provide borrower and lender benefits that incentivize new investments in the form of capital assets by providing up to 20-year, fixed-rate financing alternatives for up to 40 percent of eligible project costs for borrowers making an investment that satisfies one of the regulatory economic or community development or public policy goals for the program. SCTBDC partners with SCTDD to offer financing through several other government programs, including the EDA, USDA, the State of Tennessee, and other private funding sources. We strive to provide creative yet functional solutions to financing challenges for the banking community by providing lenders access to nonconventional financing alternatives without ongoing loan covenants or additional reporting requirements. The 504 program can help build a stronger balance sheet, provide CRA credit, and improve lending opportunities and competitiveness over conventional or other government-guaranteed lending alternatives.