UCSD - University of California - San Diego

08/31/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/31/2026 12:05

Kauffman Foundation Invests in UC San Diego Research on Small Business Funding Gaps

Published Date

August 31, 2026

Article Content

The University of California San Diego has received a grant of more than $1 million from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to support a national research project examining how entrepreneurs access financing during the earliest stages of the small business lending process.

Led by Sally Sadoff, professor of economics and strategy at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management, the multi-year study will consider whether entrepreneurs seeking business loans receive consistent and timely responses when they reach out to financial institutions.

While gaps in loan receipt for minority and female entrepreneurs are well documented, potential barriers to receiving loans in the loan application process are less well understood. The research project aims to evaluate barriers to access with the goal of providing new insights into how small business owners connect with lenders and identify opportunities to strengthen equitable access to capital for entrepreneurs across the United States.

Sally Sadoff

"Our goal is to gain a better understanding of how entrepreneurs engage with financial institutions at the beginning of the lending process, in an effort to find practical ways to improve those interactions for entrepreneurs from all backgrounds," said Sadoff.

The project will use a combination of field experiments, surveys and interviews with entrepreneurs and lending professionals to provide one of the most comprehensive examinations of early-stage small business lending interactions conducted to date.

Findings from the research are expected to inform policymakers, financial institutions, economic development organizations and entrepreneurship support programs seeking to improve pathways to business growth and economic mobility.

"The Kauffman Foundation has long been a leader in advancing research that strengthens entrepreneurship and expands economic opportunity," said Rady School Dean Lisa Ordóñez. "We are grateful for their support of this important work and its potential to generate actionable insights for entrepreneurs, lenders and communities nationwide."

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