As California pushes toward its ambitious and critical carbon emissions goals, a new program that helps climate entrepreneurs and climate-focused small businesses get the funding they need has expanded out of the Bay Area where it was piloted and is now offered statewide. The Climate Tech Finance initiative is a novel partnership between the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the California Infrastructure & Development Bank (IBank) that identifies small business working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and helps them obtain critical financing to grow their ventures. Begun in Northern California in 2018, this unique program utilizes IBank’s loan guarantee program and the air quality district’s expertise in assisting eligible companies. Thus far it has supported more than $21 million in credit facilities in the Bay Area. As one of seven IBank Financial Development Corporations around the state that administer the state’s loan guarantee program, Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County is positioned to help climate-focused startups and ventures located anywhere in the state obtain credit loan guarantees of up to 80% of a bank loan not exceeding $5 million. For more information: https://ctf.baaqmd.gov