SBA Export Working Capital Program (EWCP)
Small Business Administration
Up to $5,000,000
Finance export orders before payment arrives
SBA-guaranteed revolving lines of credit that give U.S. small businesses the cash flow needed to fulfill export orders — from purchasing inventory and raw materials through to receiving payment from foreign buyers. The SBA guarantees 90% of the facility (up to $5M), allowing exporters to borrow against purchase orders and receivables that domestic lenders won't accept as collateral. Common uses: finance export sales cycles, support standby letters of credit, and bridge the gap between shipping and payment from international buyers.
- Funding type
- Loan
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $500 – $5,000,000
- Realistic amount
- Most EWCP lines range $250,000–$2,000,000 and are sized to 90% of projected export receivables or purchase order volume.…
- Deadline
- Rolling — apply any time through an SBA-authorized export lender.
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- advance
Who qualifies
- U.S.-based small business meeting SBA size standards for your NAICS code
- In business at least 12 months (12-month operating history required in most cases)
- Must demonstrate actual or projected export sales — the EWCP is not available for purely domestic businesses
- Borrower (and 20%+ owners) must provide personal guarantee
- Export sales must be to countries not restricted by U.S. export controls or sanctioned by OFAC — Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia (post-2022 restrictions) are generally excluded
- Proceeds must be used to finance specific export transactions, not general corporate purposes
- No delinquency on federal obligations
Hard requirements
- Requires federal certification:
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Purchase of raw materials, supplies, and inventory required to fulfill a specific export order
- Manufacturing and production costs (direct labor, overhead allocated to export production) for export goods
- Standby letters of credit issued in favor of foreign buyers (performance bonds, bid bonds)
- Working capital to bridge the gap between export shipment and collection of foreign receivables
- Costs to develop foreign markets (trade show fees, international marketing, agent commissions) up to 25% of the facility
- Pre-shipment expenses: packaging, labeling, testing, export documentation fees
Ineligible expenses
- Financing domestic sales or non-export transactions
- Repaying existing long-term debt
- Purchasing capital equipment or real estate
- Financing exports to OFAC-sanctioned countries or exports requiring a license you don't hold
- Supporting non-U.S. businesses or foreign subsidiaries
- General corporate overhead not attributable to specific export transactions
How to apply
-
1
Find an SBA-authorized export lender
Not all SBA lenders participate in EWCP. Use sba.gov/exporting or the SBA's Export Finance Assistance Center (U.S. Export Assistance Centers, co-located with Commerce Dept offices) to identify local EWCP lenders. Your SBA district office can refer you to participating lenders. EWCP is also available through Ex-Im Bank's working capital guarantee program — compare both.
~2 hrs
-
2
Prepare your export transaction documentation
Lenders underwrite the export transactions, not just the business. Prepare: executed or draft purchase orders from foreign buyers, customer credit information (foreign buyer financials or letters of credit), accounts receivable aging schedule for existing export receivables, product/service export control classification (ECCN or EAR99 determination), and 2–3 years of business financial statements.
~15 hrs
-
3
Submit loan application package to lender
Complete the lender's application plus SBA Form 1919 (borrower information) and SBA Form 1920 (lender's credit memorandum). Lenders structure the facility around your export sales cycle — typical advances: 90% of foreign receivables under 90 days, 50–70% of eligible export inventory. The 90% SBA guarantee allows lenders to lend against receivables they couldn't otherwise accept.
~10 hrs
-
4
SBA approves guarantee and lender closes facility
After lender approval, the file goes to SBA for guarantee authorization. SBA reviews export eligibility (OFAC/export controls) and compliance with EWCP guidelines. Approval typically takes 5–10 business days for experienced EWCP lenders. Facility closes with a revolving credit agreement and borrowing base certificate requirement.
~3 hrs
-
5
Draw against the facility as export orders arise
Submit borrowing base certificates (listing eligible purchase orders and receivables) when you need to draw. Lender advances funds; as foreign buyers pay, advances are repaid and the line re-opens. Annual renewal requires updated financials and export projections.
~4 hrs
EWCP pairs powerfully with Ex-Im Bank's export credit insurance — insure your foreign receivables, then pledge the insured AR to your EWCP lender as higher-quality collateral, unlocking a larger line.
Deadline & timing
No program-level deadlines. This is a lender-delivered revolving credit facility. Contact an SBA-authorized export lender (or use Lender Match) to initiate. Most lenders structure EWCP as a 12-month revolving line with annual renewal.
Programs that stack well
Related programs
Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.