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Spring 2026

True Access Capital specializes in working with successful entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to take their businesses to the next level.

Capital is often the first wall people hit. They may need to expand a facility, launch a new product line, increase capacity, or hire employees, so they approach a bank for a loan. But traditional lending is built around a very specific borrower profile. If you don’t fit it, and a lot of small business owners don’t, you walk out empty-handed.

That’s why Community Development Financial Institutions, like True Access Capital, are key to business growth and sustainability. We serve entrepreneurs who fall outside the traditional lending box. When you work with us, our small business counselors and loan officers are with you every step of the way.

We also connect our clients to business training, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Our goal is not just to hand you a check; it is to help you build something that can last and grow, create jobs and strengthen neighborhoods. When businesses grow, communities grow with them.



You’ve already done the hard part. You started. Now let’s talk about what comes next. Give us a call, and let’s grow your business together.

Sincerely,

Van

Have you ever looked at a big government contract or a corporate purchasing opportunity and thought, "That's not for someone like me"? If you have, you're not alone, but you might be wrong about the answer.

The truth is that those opportunities are available to small and medium-sized businesses. The problem isn't that the doors are locked. The problem is that most small business owners have never been shown how to walk through them. That's exactly why we created the New Markets Opportunity Program here at True Access Capital.

Here's what we kept seeing: plenty of small business owners who had the talent, the track record, and the drive to compete for larger contracts with corporations, with local and state governments, even with federal agencies, kept getting turned away. Not because they weren't qualified, but because they weren't prepared. We think that gap is something we can help some business owners address.

The procurement world has its own language, its own paperwork, and its own expectations. Before you even get in the room, purchasing officers want to know who you are. That means having a solid capability statement — a one-page snapshot of your business that tells a buyer what you do, who you've done it for, and what makes you different. It means being registered in SAM.gov if you're going after federal or state opportunities. It means understanding how to read and respond to an RFP — a Request for Proposal — and how to write a response that positions your business to win.

None of this is impossible to learn, but almost nobody teaches it.

That's a need the New Markets Opportunity Program helps fill. Through a series of webinars and hands-on workshops, we walk small- and medium-sized business owners through every step of the process — from getting your documentation in order, to crafting proposals that get noticed, to understanding which opportunities are the right fit for where your business is right now. We also help connect you directly to private industry purchasing contacts, and local government opportunities.

The bottom line is this: large contracts go to prepared businesses. And preparation is something we can help you with. You bring the hustle and the vision — we'll help you build the roadmap.



If you've ever thought that the big opportunities weren't meant for you, come to one of our sessions and let us show you otherwise. The table is bigger than you think.

Are you an entrepreneur interested in bidding on larger contracts and under-threshold procurement opportunities? Join us to learn more at our Procurement Pathways program on Tuesday, April 7, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. via Zoom.

• Learn procurement methods for public and private contracting.

• Examine competitive bidding, how to write a successful Request for Proposals, Small Purchase procedures, and other ways to secure contracts. 

• Hear real-world examples from vendors who negotiated the procurement process with help from True Access Capital.

• Take home practical tips to help you be successful in winning bids to grow and sustain your business.



LaVante’ Dorsey always knew she wanted to help people feel better — emotionally, mentally, and from the inside out. From her undergraduate days at the University of Delaware to earning her master’s in social work from the University of Pennsylvania, she was building toward something. She just needed the right partners in her corner when the time came to make it real.

That's where True Access Capital and the Women's Business Center came in.

After winning the Women’s Business Center at True Access Capital H.E.R. Business Plan Competition, LaVante’ connected to resources that would change the trajectory of her business. LaVante’ connected with Chris Fullman, TAC’s New Markets Opportunities Program manager and APEX Accelerator advisor, Dana Reese, and began to learn the ins and outs of government contracting.

Dana worked with LaVante’ to navigate SAM.gov, the federal registration portal required for businesses seeking to contract with the government, while Chris helped her to refine her workshop offerings and develop a targeted outreach strategy. This included identifying key decision-makers responsible for procuring mental health services across school systems throughout Delaware.

"That partnership really helped me to grow and learn," LaVante’ says. "As a small business owner, you oftentimes feel alone. You feel like, where are the resources, and how am I supposed to figure this out? But when you have True Access Capital and the Women's Business Center in your corner, you're connected with the right people that can help you go further and grow."

And grow she did.

LaVante’ opened her mental health practice in 2019 — right before COVID hit. What could have been a devastating blow instead became an unexpected turning point. The shift to virtual sessions opened doors, and her practice boomed. She went from a solo practitioner to leading a team of seven therapists, serving predominantly women and teen girls across Delaware, with contracts at Wilmington University and a local charter school.

In 2024, she was named Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year by the Small Business Administration, met the governor, received a state proclamation, and watched her face go up on billboards across Delaware. She also launched "True to You," a mental health high school assembly program bringing awareness, energy, and real support to students across the state.

None of it, she says, would have been possible without that early foundation.

"When I think back to the beginning of the journey and working with True Access Capital," LaVante’ reflects, "none of this would have come to fruition without that first start — and those people behind me, cheering me on, pushing me that I could do this."



That's exactly what True Access Capital is here for. Your story could be next.

True Access Capital is the most successful Community Development Financial Institution, serving all of Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. Our mission is building a thriving community by empowering a diverse base of entrepreneurs and businesses through access to capital, education, advocacy and opportunity. Through our various lending programs, we have empowered countless individuals to begin and sustain successful businesses, which have in turn contributed to the revitalization of communities throughout our service area.