Equitable access to affordable capital is a fundamental part of the work our office does to build an inclusive economy for all. As part of that effort, we are recruiting a new cohort of Capital Readiness service providers for 2025 – 2026 through the Request for Proposal process. Responses are due Friday, September 19 by 5 p.m.
We’ll work with the selected consultants to create strategies that help small business owners, especially from historically underserved communities, overcome challenges in accessing affordable financing to grow their businesses. The cohort of consultants will work together to find innovative ways to help small businesses find empowerment through financial literacy, understand finance options, find support for managing existing debt, and more.
Key RFP requirements include:
- Consultant should be operating in the community for at least 5 years. They need to have provided services around capital readiness support for at least a year. They SHOULD have established trust from the community members and have a strong presence in the community.
- Consultant must be operating out of a Seattle-based location or demonstrate that over 70% of served population are Seattle-based small businesses.
- Consultant must not have an in-house lending entity.
- Consultant should have a targeted Program Budget of up to $100,000, with overhead not exceeding 10% of total Program Budget.
You can find a detailed list of qualifications and the scope of work in this RFP application announcement.
The deadline to apply is Friday, September 19, 2025.
Apply to be a Capital Readiness service provider here.
For questions and inquiries, please contact Agraj Dangal, capital access and finance advisor, at agraj.dangal@seattle.gov.