While certain financial institutions are emerging on the up and up compared to this time last year and beginning to repay government issued TARP funds, there are still exceptionally diminutive means to starting up a green business. Opportunely, there are many resources for struggling business pioneers that can help gain strong financial foothold in the industry. As most well know, competition to receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funded projects is rigid at best, giving way to the optimal resource in green initiatives; Onvia Recovery Contacts Sourcebook. Onvia offers access to over 17,000 stimulus decision-makers and buyers with active or approved economic recovery projects through May 2009, and provides direct e-mail and phone contacts. However, this list is not free, so unite with a few other green capitalists and pitch in on fees to lower initial outlay.

In making direct connections with clean tech businesses and investors there is the Clean Tech Capital Portal, which offers partnership between global cleantech investors, including cleantech share traders, fund to fund investments, cleantech company investments and cleantech projects. Additional funding resources include the Community Conservation Enterprise, which works closely with tourism businesses to help them thrive while conserving biodiversity and providing a boost to local economies. Green Seed Money Grants are offered to budding social entrepreneurs to initiate new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions; with the group having invested over $28 million in seed funding to over 471 social capitalists. As the U.S. leader in microfinance, Accion works to bring affordable small business loans to microentrepreneurs – with about $117 million invested in over 18,500 microloans since its establishment in 1991.

Not to mention, there are also modest lending organizations willing to finance equipment for new business ventures with sufficient credit and background, such as WB FINANCIAL. Located in Southern California, WB offers a wide range of business financing resources throughout the U.S. and Canada, and provides the most comprehensive commercial equipment leasing programs available on the market today. There are more groups and private lenders who are willing and able to financially assist green entrepreneurs, however the market is still as constricted as ever and will remain so until major financial institutions once again open their doors to stable lending practices.