Los Angeles is set to be the center of the sporting world for the remainder of this decade, and this is not hyperbolic.
The L.A. area recently hosted the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and is gearing up to host this summer’s FIFA World Cup, the 2027 NFL Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The city will be in the spotlight for athletes, sports fans and new tourism for years to come. And this list comes on top of the regularly scheduled calendar and other major events such as America 250 celebrations. These events, and the dollars they each bring to the market, have the greater Los Angeles area poised for tremendous economic growth.
The economic impact of these events extends well beyond ticket sales and hotel bookings. For local small businesses, this represents a unique moment of elevated consumer activity, increased foot traffic and new contracting opportunities. But capturing that opportunity requires more than proximity; it requires strategic planning and access to the right capital at the right time.
The opportunity
A recent report from the Southern California Association of Governments projects that Los Angeles County and the region’s four other counties could see nearly $18 billion in regional GDP added to the economy from the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics alone. FIFA projects that the total economic impact from Los Angeles hosting 2026 World Cup events could be $892 million.
Businesses in the hospitality and tourism industries have the most to gain, with the FIFA report noting that its event could bring $515 million in direct visitor spending on lodging, dining, retail, transportation, and entertainment.
CDFIs are a powerful resource for L.A. businesses
This influx of economic activity and capital, while exciting, doesn’t simply benefit small businesses by default. This is where Community Development Financial Institutions can play a role. As mission-driven financial organizations certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, CDFIs are particularly adept at serving under-resourced communities and have long supported Los Angeles area entrepreneurs.Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF), the national nonprofit CDFI that I lead, serves under-resourced small businesses and strengthens small business support ecosystems by working with local partners and community stakeholders to increase access to capital and resources for entrepreneurs. Drawing upon this work, I offer some ideas that local and national organizations alike can consider as they work to ensure the upcoming economic benefits reach as many Los Angeles area small businesses as possible.
Small business resources built for this moment
Los Angeles area entrepreneurs should take time to identify and understand the resources available to them. The LA is Open campaign and the Get in The Game LA Initiative are two resources connecting businesses to support and procurement opportunities related to the events. The California IBank’s California Loan Match tool connects California entrepreneurs with CDFIs and other mission-driven organizations at scale. Together, these initiatives offer pathways for small business owners to find resources that support their growth. When exploring these options, entrepreneurs should pay particular attention to CDFI lenders, as many specialize in serving small businesses and take time to understand each customer’s unique needs to find the right capital and resource solutions.
Creative models that create impact
As awareness grows, so will demand, and supporting organizations may need to get creative to meet it. A 2025 survey of 448 CDFIs conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond found that CDFIs reported high demand in their services; however, 63% indicated that lending capital was a barrier to their ability to meet demand. Loan participation models offer one structure for bridging that gap, one that could allow national or regional partners to play a meaningful role without displacing local perspectives. Through this model, financing is spread across multiple organizations, reducing risk to any one lender while injecting incremental capital into the ecosystem. For outside organizations that want to support the L.A. small business community, participation structures offer a way to contribute capital while keeping local CDFIs in the lead.
This is already taking shape in California. Through two separate participation programs, we’re working alongside local California organizations, Mission Driven Finance and Lendistry to reach more entrepreneurs across the state. Since the first of these programs launched in 2024, the two combined have served 46 businesses, with CRF providing $23.1 million that helped secure an additional $13.1 million from lending partners, for a total of $36.2 million deployed to entrepreneurs across the state.
Flexible capital to scale up
Lastly, the type of capital available to small businesses in Los Angeles will be critical to their ability to scale up. Offering flexible capital options with variable repayment structures that consider the revenue of the borrower will be an important tool for lenders, as many businesses seek access to financing that enables them to scale operations before they begin to see consistent revenue. Loan payments can eat away at a business’ ability to scale, but providing capital with a repayment schedule based on revenue enables the borrower to reinvest more funds and focus on positioning themselves for future growth.
Los Angeles is on the verge of something extraordinary, and the infrastructure for this moment is being built right now. Small businesses are central to the fabric of our communities and all of us have a role to play in ensuring that the growth ahead belongs to all entrepreneurs.
Matthew Roth is president and chief executive of Community Reinvestment Fund, a national CDFI based in Chicago with the mission to work in partnership to expand economic opportunity for small businesses and communities by reimagining the way capital and resources flow.
