“GFDA is an excellent community partner. Together, we are growing Great Falls and business and industry.”
Kyle Herda
First Interstate Bank
WE WANT TO BE YOUR LENDING PARTNER!
We provide loans for all business sizes:
- Loans that fill financial gaps in projects
- Bridge loans to get your project moving quicker
- SBA 504 loans to lower your equity requirement (down payment) and lock in low interest rates for the life of the loan
- Loans to clean environmental contaminants from property/buildings so you can redevelop them
Examples of ways we can help:
- Building/property hazardous material assessment and clean up
- Loans for working capital, equipment, training, product development, renovations, and new construction
- Start-ups, expansions, modernizations, re-structuring and acquisitions
- Flexible loan terms
- Access to technical assistance, business training, loan guarantees, and equity sources
GAP/BRIDGE LOANS
Sometimes great deals need some extra help to get done. We can partner with your bank or credit union to fill the gap in financing and move your business or development project forward.
SBA 504 LOANS
An SBA 504 is a financing tool, in partnership with your bank or credit union, that lowers your equity requirement (down payment) to as little as 10% and locks in a low interest rate for up to 25 years. This tool is used for the acquisition of fixed assets such as real estate and equipment.
High Plains Financial provides this service and is staffed by the Great Falls Development Authority.
BROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT AND CLEAN UP
LOOKING TO PURCHASE A BUILDING OR PROPERTY FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
Many buildings and properties contain environmental contaminants that, if not discovered and documented properly BEFORE your purchase, eliminate the possibility of cleanup funding for future redevelopment. Building materials used frequently in the past are hazardous and now deemed unsafe, like asbestos or lead paint.
Before buying a commercial property, we highly recommend commissioning a Phase One environmental assessment to identify potential contaminants. Known as due diligence, the assessment is required if you need help cleaning up contaminants – now or in the future.
What Resources Are Available? Visit our Brownfields Program page!
- Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund provides low interest loans to for-profit and non-profit companies and potential grants for non-profits to clean up Brownfields sites.
- Brownfields Assessments provide environmental assessments such as Phase I, Phase II, and cleanup planning.
CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES
“To see this project come together means the world. I appreciate the excellent partners, including GFDA, who helped get us here. Our team will be excellent ambassadors for Great Falls – ensuring that our guests enjoy their time in Great Falls.”
Ty Rollins
The Gibson
Great Falls, Montana
Let’s Play: Games and Toys
“Our mortgage payment is actually almost half of what we were paying for rent, so our monthly expenses have gone down significantly, and we own it,” said Nicole.
“There is no way we would be where we are today without the help of GFDA over the years. There is just absolutely no way. Even if they just want to kick around some ideas, the small business development center is perfect because you get help, especially with budgeting and analysis, and can even afford your idea. We now have a forever home.”
Montana Build
“The SBA 504 Loan was instrumental in helping the Montana Build team expand operations into larger headquarters.”
– Paul McElroy, Owner
Easter Seals Goodwill Renovation
“We hadn’t even considered Brownfield funding when we started the process of renovating two large buildings built in the 1950s – we probably couldn’t have completed the project without those funds.”
– Dennis Peterson, ESGW, discussing the renovation of a vacant building in Downtown Great Falls MT
Vernon Quality Carpentry
“We had been in the business for quite some time before I went to them, but I wasn’t in a real good position . . . not having the experience, knowledge, or education that I really needed to manage my finances and get from one job to the next. GFDA helped to finance my company so that we could accept three contracts that were offered to us simultaneously and allow me to hire the crew I needed to be able to spread out between Great Falls, Billings and Butte.”
– Shelly Vernon, Owner
For more GFDA client success stories, visit our News page.
Looking for Financing? Contact our Lending team!
GFDA is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the US Treasury. Our mission is to provide access to capital that otherwise would not be available from conventional sources. We are dedicated to creating economic opportunity and improving the quality of life in Northcentral Montana.
GFDA and HPF are proud to be equal opportunity employers, lenders, and providers.
The lending activities of GFDA & High Plains Financial are funded in part by the United States Department of Agriculture. In accordance with Federal law and the USDA policy, this institution is prohibited from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
The Federal Equal Opportunity Act prohibits creditors form discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age (provided that the applicant has the capacity to enter into a binding contract); because all or part of the applicant’s income derives from any public assistance program; or because the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. The Federal agency that administers compliance with this law Is the Federal Trade Commission, Equal Credit Opportunity, Washington, DC 20580.
In accordance with federal laws and U.S. Department of the Treasury policy, this organization is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Director, Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20220; call (202) 622-1160; or send an e-mail to: crcomplaints@treasury.gov.