Invest Atlanta recently authorized the creation of the new Rise Atlanta Revolving Loan Fund (RARLF). The purpose of the RARLF is to provide a public benefit in the form of low-interest small business loans to small and local businesses engaged in trade, 行业, and commerce located in Community Development 影响 Areas (CDIA) of the city of Atlanta to recover from an economic shock or disaster.

Qualified applicants are eligible for direct loans between $10,000元及50元,000 over a period not to exceed seven years. Interest rates for the loan will not exceed 3 percent and the first payment may be deferred until March 1, 2021. Funds can be used for inventory, 营运资本, 设备, 固定装置, 家具, 最高可达30美元,000 of the loan can be used to retire high-interest rate business debt accounts

Small businesses are a vital part of Atlanta’s economy. Approximately 16,000 businesses operate in the city of Atlanta. Almost 95 percent of those businesses have less than 50 employees and/or $500K in revenue. An estimated 25 percent of businesses do not open again after a major disaster, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety. Following a disaster, 90 percent of smaller companies fail within a year unless they can resume operations within five days.

The RARLF will help ensure the viability of small, minority and female-owned businesses located in Community Development 影响 Areas (CDIA). CDIA areas of the 亚特兰大市 can include Auburn Ave, Donald L. Hollowell百汇, Campbellton Rd, 柯克伍德, 即/《, 东亚特兰大, 伦敦大道, 纪念开车, 级联路, 乔治亚大道, 普赖尔路, Martin Luther King Jr. 洛厄里大道., Sylvan/Dill and surrounding areas.