The Development Credit Fund (DCF) is a nonprofit small business loan fund based in Baltimore, Maryland. It was established in 1983 to support the growth and expansion of small minority-owned businesses, and has developed close working relationships with the City of Baltimore, the Federally-designated Empowerment Zone, the Small Business Administration, traditional financial institutions, and neighborhood-based community development corporations. DCFa€™s primary service area is Baltimore City (including the Empowerment Zone) and its loans have provided a needed source of capital for the City"s underserved African American small business borrowers. The loans may be used for working capital, financing machinery and equipment, leasehold financing, business acquisitions, current asset financing, and lines of credit.