Program Overview

Washington C.A.S.H. (Community Alliance for Self-Help) empowers aspiring entrepreneurs with limited resources—and unlimited potential! We provide the hands-on education, support, and access to capital needed to start or grow small businesses.

We are a nonprofit organization and most of our services are free or very low-cost (we serve low-income entrepreneurs—see our income guidelines here). Following is our program at-a-glance:

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> Orientation | Get Ready Business Workshop: This is a 1-session workshop designed to introduce you to the most critical issues in starting and managing a small business. At the end of our Get Ready for Business Workshop, you have the option of applying for our 8-week Business Development Training course. The first step in getting involved with Washington C.A.S.H. is signing up for a Get Ready for Business Workshop. Please see our application process.

  • Seattle (English only)
  • Kitsap (English only)
  • Tukwila (Spanish only)
  • Kent (Spanish only, fall & spring only)

> Learn & Plan | Business Development Training: Successful applicants to this 8-week education and training course work closely with instructors and business coaches to examine the feasibility of their new business idea or how to improve an existing business. We offer a new series of classes each quarter.

> Launch & Support | Business Groups & In-Depth Resources: Upon successful graduation from the Business Development Training, you are eligible to apply for the third phase of the Washington C.A.S.H. programming: Peer Business Groups. These groups meet twice a month for networking, guest speakers, and mentoring. Business Group members have access to a number of additional resources, including Advanced Workshops, and are eligible to apply for Washington C.A.S.H. loans.

Peer Loans

Peer loans are available to Peer Business Group members (Phase 3 of our program) and are appropriate for someone who is trying to get credit established. If you have no credit, poor credit, no collateral, and are new in your business – this is the loan for you! These loans start at $1,000 and go up to $5,000. Learn more about peer loans.

Business Builder Loans

Our Business Builder Loans range from $5,001 up to $35,000. In order to qualify for these loans you must meet some of the requirements for more traditional loans, such as fair credit and collateral.  Learn more about business builder loans.


Funded in part through a grant award with the U.S. Small Business Administration.