Once you have progress and traction for your venture, you're ready to start looking at early-stage funding sources. Thee most common sources of early-stage funding depend on the type of business you are building. For small businesses, you'll want to look at bank loans from local banks or micro-lenders. For startups, accelerator programs and angel investors are the best early-stage source. For nonprofits, now is when you start writing your first grants and soliciting the public for donations, if you have tax-exempt status.