Advertiser disclosure: Some links on this page earn us a commission. Compensation never affects our data, our rankings, or which lenders we cover. How we make money.
Illinois · Arts & Recreation
SBA loans for arts & recreation in Illinois
1,208 loans worth $746.0M approved since FY2010 for arts, entertainment, and recreation projects located in Illinois.
Loans
1,208
Approved
$746.0M
Median loan
$298,000
+30% vs sector nationally
Median rate
7.00%
Jobs supported
16,303
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA data, as of 2026-06-30. Approvals from FY2010 onward. How we calculate this.
Lenders
Who lends to arts & recreation in Illinois
| Lender | Loans | Approved | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Byline Bank | 77 | $87.3M | |
| Small Business Growth Corporation | 87 | $77.6M | |
| SomerCor 504, Inc. | 58 | $70.1M | |
| The Huntington National Bank | 167 | $50.0M | |
| U.S. Bank | 53 | $31.4M | |
| Wells Fargo Bank | 27 | $20.5M | |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank | 96 | $18.6M | |
| The Bancorp Bank | 7 | $16.9M |
Detail
Which industries inside the sector
An SBA 7(a) lender for loans this size
The median SBA loan approved for arts & recreation in Illinois since FY2010 was $298,000. SmartBiz makes SBA 7(a) loans up to $500,000. It is shown here as a separate, labelled option, outside the data rankings on this page. You apply on their site - we do not take applications and never see your information.
Check options with SmartBizWe may be paid if you apply through this link. It does not change what we publish, and no lender can buy a place in our rankings. Details.
All SBA lending in Illinois
37,253 loans across every sector.
Arts & Recreation nationally
33,312 loans across all states.
How SBA 7(a) works
Eligibility, caps, fees, and the timeline.
Common questions
- How many SBA loans go to arts & recreation businesses in Illinois?
- 1,208 SBA loans totalling $745,992,100 have been approved for arts, entertainment, and recreation projects in Illinois since FY2010.
- Which lenders finance arts & recreation in Illinois?
- The most active by dollars approved are Byline Bank, Small Business Growth Corporation, SomerCor 504, Inc., The Huntington National Bank. Several are national lenders with no local branch - SBA lending crosses state lines freely.
- What is a typical loan size for arts & recreation in Illinois?
- The median approval is $298,000, 30% above the national median for this sector ($228,400).
We are a publisher, not a lender or broker. We never take applications and are never paid by borrowers. Read the full disclosures.