The American Dream is rooted in a simple idea: people should have the opportunity to build something, get ahead, and create a better future for themselves and their families. That promise is still alive. But for too many people, it is slipping out of reach.
JPMorganChase’s American Dream Initiative aims to close that gap by scaling practical solutions that help more people secure a good job, start and grow a business, save for the future, and find an affordable place to live. This multi-year effort starts with a goal of powering 10 million small businesses, pairing nearly $80 billion in lending over the next decade with resources and guidance for owners at every stage.
As the nation’s leading small business bank, we see firsthand how coordinated action can help owners overcome barriers to growth. Our latest Powering 10 Million Small Businesses report identifies four opportunity areas where private- and nonprofit-sector action, combined with practical policy solutions, can strengthen America’s small business environment.
Opportunity 1: Build stronger pathways to capital, growth, and ownership
A thriving small business ecosystem starts with access to the right financing at every stage. Yet that access can remain uneven, particularly for businesses in rural and underinvested communities, and owners seeking growth or transition capital.
JPMorganChase is helping expand access to capital by increasing direct lending and supporting Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs), and other community lenders. Policy can extend that reach by expanding CDFI and SBIC capacity in rural and underinvested areas, increasing access to small-dollar loans and microloans, and strengthening financing for equipment, technology, and domestic production capacity, among other things.
Helping businesses endure also means preparing for ownership transitions. At JPMorganChase, we help owners plan for succession while supporting opportunities for the next generation of owners to take over. Federal policies can complement these efforts by expanding access to tools and capital for succession planning and employee ownership transitions. These measures can help preserve viable businesses, protect local jobs, and keep wealth in communities.
Opportunity 2: Increase access to the tools small businesses need to start, grow, hire, and thrive
Small businesses also need practical guidance to navigate an increasingly complicated business environment.
We launched our Coaching for Impact program to help entrepreneurs connect with experts and resources to help them address everyday challenges like managing cash flow, adopting technology, hiring, navigating health care choices, and planning for growth.
Government programs can similarly focus on providing accessible guidance small businesses need. Strengthening tools such as SBA Lender Match and modernizing federal resource directories could help owners find support more easily, freeing up time to focus on their businesses. Meanwhile, expanding access to Custom Health Option and Individual Care Expense (CHOICE) arrangements can give small employers more flexible ways to support employees’ health coverage.
Opportunity 3: Build resilience and adaptability to shifting trends
As capital and guidance help owners grow, resilience becomes essential to protecting that progress and seizing new opportunities. AI illustrates the challenge: it can accelerate business growth while making fraud and scams faster, cheaper, and more convincing. For small businesses that often lack dedicated security teams, navigating that tradeoff can be especially challenging.
Helping small business owners manage those risks is part of supporting their growth. JPMorganChase’s fraud detection technology helped prevent approximately $25 billion in customer fraud and scam losses in 2025. But keeping those protections effective as threats evolve requires cooperation beyond any one company. Bipartisan efforts such as the SCAM Act, coupled with stronger public-private coordination, can help protect businesses and their customers.
Opportunity 4: Strengthen commercial corridors and local economies
Finally, small business success also depends on strong communities. Vibrant Main Streets and commercial corridors with reliable infrastructure, available storefronts, steady foot traffic, and access to financial services create the conditions for businesses to open, stay, and grow.
JPMorganChase is investing in those conditions by pairing financing, philanthropy, research, and local partnerships to support revitalization programs in markets such as Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Policy can sustain that momentum through land-use and zoning reforms that reactivate underused properties, streamlined permitting for high-impact projects and adaptive reuse, and efforts to preserve and expand affordable commercial space for local entrepreneurs.
Advancing these four opportunities requires collaboration among business owners, community organizations, policymakers and the private sector to bring together the capital, coaching, tools and local solutions small businesses need to thrive.
Through the American Dream Initiative, we look forward to working with our partners to turn this report’s ideas into results on Main Streets nationwide—and help small business owners bring the American Dream to life.
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC