SBA program
SBA MARC: revolving credit for manufacturers and the food supply chain
Manufacturers' Access to Revolving Credit — a working capital line restricted to manufacturing, wholesale and the food supply chain. Almost nobody writes about it.
MARC — Manufacturers' Access to Revolving Credit — is a 7(a) revolving line of credit limited by industry. If your primary NAICS code sits in manufacturing (31-33), wholesale (42) or agriculture (11), plus a short list of named food supply chain codes, you may be eligible. Proceeds are for working capital only.
Who is actually eligible
MARC is unusual among SBA programs in gating on industry. From the SOP, eligible businesses meet the normal 7(a) requirements and fall into one of these:
- Manufacturing — NAICS sectors 31, 32 or 33 as the first two digits of your primary six-digit code.
- Wholesale — NAICS sector 42, with two explicit exclusions: 423110 (automobile and other motor vehicle merchant wholesalers) and 425120 (wholesale trade agents and brokers) are not eligible.
- Food supply chain — NAICS sector 11, plus the named codes 445110 (supermarkets and other grocery retailers), 493120 (refrigerated warehousing and storage) and 493130 (farm warehousing and storage).
What the money can and cannot do
| Eligible | Not eligible |
|---|---|
| Working capital needs of the business | Non-working-capital debt refinancing |
| Refinancing debt whose original purpose was working capital | Changes of ownership |
| Delinquent withholding or other trust-fund taxes | |
| Floor plan financing | |
| Paying a creditor in a position to sustain a loss |
One useful nuance: although MARC proceeds cannot fund a change of ownership, the SOP allows a MARC loan to be made to a business at the same time as a change of ownership to support working capital. If you are buying a manufacturer, that is worth raising — new owners routinely underestimate the working capital the business needs in its first months. See buying a business.
How lenders run it
Lenders may administer a MARC loan as an asset-based line, similar to a Working Capital CAPLine or to the lender's own asset-based lending policies.
Is it worth asking about?
If you manufacture, wholesale, or sit in the food supply chain, yes — for two reasons beyond the line itself. The same industry categories carry the 0% upfront guaranty fee on loans of $700,000 or less for FY2027, and the same categories get the 504 fee waiver. A business that qualifies for one usually qualifies for the others, and lenders do not always connect them for you.
Questions people actually ask
What does MARC stand for?
Manufacturers' Access to Revolving Credit. It is a delivery method within the SBA's 7(a) program providing revolving working capital to businesses in specific industries.
Can a wholesaler get a MARC loan?
Generally yes if the primary NAICS code starts with 42, with two stated exceptions: motor vehicle merchant wholesalers (423110) and wholesale trade agents and brokers (425120) are excluded.
Can MARC proceeds refinance existing debt?
Only where the original purpose of the debt being refinanced was working capital. Refinancing non-working-capital debt is not an eligible use.