Business financing in Bastrop County.
County-by-county financing guides. No paperwork. No social. No ID.
No institution is headquartered inside the Bastrop County line, but 2 keep an office open here. They are below, by name and by town.
Not this lane? Home FinancingPersonal Financing
The doors in Bastrop County.
The CDFIs, credit unions, and microlenders that actually say yes — county by county, in two languages. We are not a lender. Nobody paid to be listed. And where a county has no good doors, we say so.
- 2
- DOORS HERE
- 0
- BASED HERE
- 99
- TX COUNTIES WITH DOORS
- Lane
- Business Financing
- People
- 97Kresidents of Bastrop County
- Elsewhere in TX
- Harris County →50 doors — the biggest list of any other county in Texas
- State
- Texas →99 of 254 counties hold a door in this lane
Based elsewhere, with a member-facing office inside the Bastrop County line. You can walk in.
- A+ Credit UnionPersonal · Home · Business capital
- Greater Texas Credit UnionPersonal · Home · Business capital
- Alliance for Multicultural Community ServicesBusiness capital
- AltCapSBA microlenderCommunity lending · Business capital
- Just Community, IncCommunity lending · Business capital
- LiftFund, Inc.SBA microlenderCommunity lending · Business capital
- PeopleFundSBA microlenderCommunity lending · Business capital
- Accion Opportunity FundAccepts ITIN
Nonprofit small-business lender. Accepts ITIN in place of SSN. Serves most states, in English and Spanish.
Business capital - Grameen AmericaAccepts ITIN
Microloans for women entrepreneurs. Requires photo ID and proof of address — no SSN requirement. Branches in major metro areas.
Business capital - Mission Asset FundAccepts ITIN
Zero-interest lending circles and credit building. SSN or ITIN accepted. Works through nonprofit partners across the country.
Personal
How to read this list.
We do not ask for your name, your email, or your number. Nothing on this page changes based on who you are.
A door is headquartered here when its head office sits inside the county line. The rest are based elsewhere and keep a branch you can walk into. We list both, and we label which is which.
Every institution on this page comes from public federal data — the CDFI Fund certified list (Aug 2026), NCUA credit union data (Jun 2026), and the SBA microloan intermediary list (Sep 2026) — plus a short national tier we verified by hand. We refresh each list as its agency publishes. No listing is paid.
Bastrop County sits on the eastern edge of the Austin metro, where the Lost Pines meet new subdivisions and much of the work is done by people who build, haul, fix, and cook for a living. This guide explains how business financing works here, who tends to qualify, what papers to gather, and which doors actually serve the county: two credit unions with branches here, statewide mission lenders, and national ITIN-friendly nonprofits. No institution is headquartered inside the county line, and we say so plainly. We also cover Texas rules and the traps that catch contractors.
It's a process, not a rejection.
Business financing is money you borrow or receive to start, run, or grow your work. It comes in a few shapes: a term loan you repay on a schedule, a line of credit you draw from when a job needs materials before the client pays, a microloan for smaller amounts when a bank says no, an equipment loan secured by the truck or trailer itself, and occasionally a grant you never repay.
Bastrop County is home to about 97,216 people, and its economy has two faces. One is old: cattle and hay operations, small family land, the brick and sausage traditions of Elgin, the railroad town of Smithville, and the river and pine country around the city of Bastrop that draws visitors to the Lost Pines. The other is new and moving fast: Austin keeps spilling east along State Highway 71 and US 290, and that means subdivisions, road work, commercial pads, and a steady demand for framers, roofers, concrete crews, electricians, landscapers, and the food trucks and taquerías that feed them.
That second face matters for financing. A lot of Bastrop County business income is subcontract income: you work for a builder or a general contractor, you get paid on a 1099, and you wait on draws. Your money comes in lumps, not salaries. Lenders who understand construction will look at your bank deposits over many months rather than a single pay stub, and the right product for you is often a line of credit or equipment loan rather than a big lump-sum loan.
Forget what the banks say.
Every lender looks at the same core things: can you repay, what does your credit history show (or your ITIN history if you file taxes without a Social Security Number), how long have you been working, and does your plan make sense for this market.
In Bastrop County, the people who most often have a strong case include:
- Trade subcontractors working the new-home and commercial build-out east of Austin — framing, drywall, roofing, concrete, electrical, plumbing, HVAC
- Landscaping, tree, and land-clearing crews, a real need in pine and post-oak country where lots have to be cleared and storm damage cleaned up
- Haulers and small trucking operators moving gravel, caliche, hay, and equipment
- Food businesses — trucks, trailers, caterers, and small restaurants serving crews and weekend visitors
- Small ranch and hay operations that need equipment or operating money between sales
- Short-term rental and small landlord businesses around Bastrop and the river
What strengthens your file: consistent deposits into one business bank account, tax returns that show the income you actually earned, and a short list of repeat clients or general contractors who keep calling you back. What weakens it: cash-only income, no tax returns, and mixed personal and business money.
You do not need perfect credit. If you have an ITIN instead of an SSN, you are not automatically disqualified; some mission lenders and nonprofits work with ITIN borrowers, and we name the verified ones below. If your business is brand new or your credit is thin, a microloan or a credit-building program is usually the honest first step, not a large bank loan.
Get your papers in order.
Lenders differ, but nearly every Texas business application asks for some version of the following. Pulling these together before your first conversation saves weeks:
- 01**Photo ID**
A Texas driver's license, passport, or other government ID; some institutions accept a consular ID, so ask
- 02**SSN or ITIN**
- 03**Business registration**
Your assumed name certificate (DBA) from the county clerk, or your LLC filing with the Texas Secretary of State
- 04**Tax returns**
Usually the last two years, personal and business if you have both
- 05**Bank statements**
Several months of business account statements; for subcontractors these are often the single most important document
- 06**1099s and client list**
The forms builders and GCs sent you, plus names of your regular clients
- 07**Contracts or purchase orders** for work you already have lined up
- 08**Equipment list**
Trucks, trailers, mowers, skid steers, tools, with rough values, if you are offering collateral or financing equipment
- 09**Licenses**
Your state trade license if your trade requires one
- 10**A one-page plan**
What you do, who pays you, what the money is for, and how it gets repaid
- MISSING ONE?Ask Iris which one you're missing.ASK A QUESTION ↓
The doors worth knowing.
Here is the honest picture: no bank, credit union, or CDFI in our directory is based inside the Bastrop County line. The doors that serve the county come from Austin and from statewide and national mission lenders.
ALL 2 DOORS, BY NAME AND BY TOWN- 2
- DOORS HERE
- 117
- ACROSS TX
Based in Austin, Texas. A credit union — owned by its members rather than by shareholders, which is exactly what changes the conversation after a bank has said no.
BEST FORA personal loan, or building a credit file from nothing, and buying, repairing or refinancing a home.Based in Austin, Texas. A member-owned credit union, which means the people deciding on your file answer to depositors in the same towns you work in.
BEST FORBuying, repairing or refinancing a home, and working capital, equipment and payroll for a small business.
Don't fall into these traps.
An MCA buys a slice of your future sales and pulls money from your account daily or weekly. It is fast and it is legal, but the true cost is often far higher than any loan. Contractors waiting on a draw are exactly who MCA brokers call. Treat it as a last resort, not a bridge.
Once you take one advance, offers for a second and third show up. Stacking advances is how a slow month turns into a lost business.
A legitimate lender does not ask you to pay a fee before you are approved and funded. If someone wants money to 'unlock' a loan, walk away.
Putting your work truck up for a title loan to cover payroll or materials can cost you the truck that earns your living.
Many business loans require one. Know that it puts your personal assets on the line, and ask what it covers.
In Texas, a notario público is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice or prepare your immigration or business legal documents. Get help from a licensed attorney or a nonprofit.
No honest lender says the offer disappears tonight. Take the papers home, read them, and compare at least two options.
The rules where you are.
If you work under any name other than your own legal name, Texas requires an assumed name certificate. Sole proprietors file it with the county clerk; LLCs and corporations register with the Texas Secretary of State. Lenders will ask to see it.
If you sell taxable goods or certain taxable services, you need a sales and use tax permit from the Texas Comptroller. Food trucks and retail sellers almost always do.
LLCs and corporations file an annual franchise tax report with the Comptroller. Many small businesses owe nothing, but the report still has to be filed to keep the entity in good standing, and a lender will check.
Texas has no statewide general contractor license, but electricians and air-conditioning and refrigeration contractors are licensed through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and plumbers through the state plumbing board. Cities in the county may also require permits or registration.
If a builder does not pay you, Texas lien law can protect you, but it runs on strict notice deadlines. Learn them before you need them.
The Texas Department of Agriculture runs financing and grant programs aimed at rural and agricultural businesses, and the Governor's office offers small business resources. The SBDC can tell you which ones fit.
The short version.
- 01
If you run a trade, a crew, a truck, or a kitchen in Bastrop County, you have real financing options even though no lender in our directory is based inside the county. Two Austin credit unions, A+ and Greater Texas, keep branches here. Statewide mission lenders serve the whole state, and national nonprofits like Accion Opportunity Fund and Mission Asset Fund work with ITIN holders.
- 02
Start by running all your income through one business account, filing your taxes, and gathering your registration, statements, and 1099s. Then walk into a branch or call a mission lender, and ask the two questions: do you lend with an ITIN, and do you report to the credit bureaus?
- 03
Take your time. Compare at least two offers. Stay away from merchant cash advances and anyone charging upfront fees.
- 04
Origen Capital is a directory, not a lender. We do not collect your information, and we do not sell you anything. Use this guide as a starting point, and work directly with the institution you choose when you are ready to apply.
Same county, another question.
Home FinancingPurchase, renovation, HELOC, and bridge loans for homeowners and investorsSEE IT IN BASTROP COUNTY →
Personal FinancingPersonal loans, credit building, and ITIN-friendly financing optionsSEE IT IN BASTROP COUNTY →99TX COUNTIES WITH DOORSThe whole stateEvery county in Texas, in this same lane.117 institutions fund small businesses inside Texas county lines.OPEN THE STATE →Still don't see your situation?
Ask Iris. She'll explain it the way it should have been explained the first time.