Travis County webinar links small businesses with lenders, mentorship and zero‑interest microloans

Travis County hosted a virtual webinar on June 10, 2026, to connect small businesses with local lenders and technical‑assistance programs, including PeopleFund, LiftFund, the City of Austin's Kiva Hub and BCL of Texas. Kaleo Lopez, the county's community liaison, opened the session and said the program's goal is to help vendors, community members and stakeholders "learn how to do business with Travis County, improve business practices for growth and sustainability, and ensure the effective use of taxpayer dollars."

The session front‑loaded resources and practical steps: Sydney McClellan, Travis County's TCAP liaison, outlined the Travis County Advisor Apprentice Program (TCAP), a mentorship initiative first launched in 2017 and now running a nine‑month pilot informed by a 2021 disparity study. McClellan said the county will report on TCAP to commissioners in August and hopes to host a participant ceremony in October, with applications expected later in the year.

Several nonprofit and municipal lenders described complementary pathways to capital. Carlos Quintanilla of PeopleFund, a community development financial institution (CDFI), highlighted TCTX Thrive 3.0, a Travis County‑funded program offering individualized business coaching (about 20–30 hours), workshops and an accelerator for loan recipients. "It's 100% free for all small businesses," Quintanilla said of the eligible program services; he added that PeopleFund loans can start at $3,000 and that completing the eight‑week accelerator and required coaching can make participants eligible for a completion grant between $3,000 and $5,000.

Alma Valdez Brown, vice president of microlending at LiftFund, described a mix of microlending and larger SBA loan products, plus free advising and accelerators. She emphasized LiftFund's flexible underwriting on credit (character) and collateral and urged businesses to prepare tax returns, bank statements and corporate documents when seeking financing. In the webinar transcript Brown stated loans "as little as $500" and used the phrase "half 1,000,000" for a higher figure; that higher figure in the audio transcript is unclear in its precise dollar amount and is noted in the clarifying details below.

Cheyenne Alvarez, program manager for the City of Austin and Kiva Capital Access manager, explained how Kiva works as a crowdfunding microloan platform and that the City of Austin is a Kiva hub offering in‑person support. Alvarez stressed the distinguishing features of Kiva loans: they are typically $1,000 to $15,000, carry 0% interest and have terms of 12 to 36 months. "What you borrow is what you repay, and you don't pay any more than that," Alvarez said, describing the zero‑interest model and the borrower process, which includes an initial private‑fundraiser mechanism and optional trustee endorsements from local organizations (including the City of Austin) that can increase approval amounts and speed review.

Shane Wilhelm of BCL of Texas reviewed BCL's combination of training and lending. BCL offers one‑on‑one coaching in English and Spanish and several loan products, including a New Business Growth Fund ($5,000 to $50,000), a DECA loan fund (up to $50,000 with no credit check for members of the Diversity Ethnic Chamber Alliance), a Texas diversity fund (up to $100,000), larger business growth loans (up to $250,000), SBA 7(a) products (up to $350,000) and 504 loans for commercial real estate. Wilhelm also noted USDA rural lending pockets that can reach higher amounts for eligible rural businesses.

In a closing Q&A, presenters answered operational questions: PeopleFund said its workshops are primarily live and typically not recorded; McClellan reiterated the TCAP timeline tied to the commissioners court report in August; and loan officers advised founders against mixing personal and business finances. "One of the biggest things that I see... is when people are mixing their business and personal finances together," Wilhelm said, calling that practice a legal and lending risk and urging separation of accounts and accurate records.

The county promoted follow‑up resources: Lopez said webinar materials, contact details and a survey would be emailed to attendees and encouraged registration for an in‑person "Coffee with Travis County" event on June 22 at the Del Valle Community Center. Businesses interested in TCAP, Kiva trustee endorsements or lender programs were directed to contact the presenters via links and email addresses posted in the webinar chat.

Next steps: the county will provide materials and contact information via follow‑up email; TCAP updates are expected after the August commissioners court report, with program activity likely to resume later in the year.