The Mission Lenders Working Group: A Trusted Voice for Responsible Small Business Lending
Formed in 2015 and proudly staffed by The Feighan Team—an experienced, government relations firm in Washington, D.C.—the Mission Lenders Working Group (MLWG) is a national alliance of SBA-authorized and regulated non-bank Community Advantage lenders. Our members include SBA Microlenders and Intermediary Lending Proiders, SBA Certified Development Companies (CDCs), and U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), serving entrepreneurs in both urban and rural communities across America.
MLWG members are united in advancing the core mission of the Community Advantage (CA) loan program: to extend access to responsible, performance-driven capital for creditworthy small businesses that are not yet bankable. These include veteran-owned, rural, and low-income small businesses—many referred to us directly by banks and credit unions that recognize our ability to help strong businesses grow into bank-ready borrowers.
Our coalition supports pro-growth policies and public-private partnerships that create pathways to entrepreneurship, job creation, and local economic development—without compromising accountability or financial discipline. As stewards of the CA loan program, our members have consistently demonstrated the ability to deliver results where traditional lending is not yet an option for many small businesses.
Originally launched as a Pilot Program by SBA in 2011, the Community Advantage program has proven its value and longevity. It has been extended three times and is now under the 7(a) program as the Community Advantage Small Business Lending Company (CA SBLC) model.
MLWG remains committed to working with policymakers to preserve and strengthen this proven tool for fostering healthy, viable small businesses across the country.
What
We
Do
The Working Group keeps federal policy makers, including Members of Congress and SBA leadership informed on how and where CA lenders are working, the types of business owners and entrepreneurs benefiting from CA loans, and the important work mission lenders are doing with the backing of an SBA loan guarantee.
The Working Group convenes monthly calls for participating Community Advantage lenders to share challenges and best practices, engage with SBA program staff, and discuss and resolve CA program issues.
The Working Group is committed to securing permanent status for the Community Advantage loan guarantee program so that participating SBA-regulated lenders can continue to finance small businesses that traditional 7(a) lenders are unable to serve.