Business funders restrict industries where repayment is harder to predict, where the law or banking access is uncertain, or where the business itself is a lender. Common examples are cannabis, crypto, financial firms, non-profits, real estate, auto sales, gas stations and certain construction trades. Lists differ by funder: Merchant Fund Express does not fund non-profits, restricts new residential construction, residential remodeling and long-distance trucking, and reviews other industries program by program.
Review My Funding Options →A funder that buys a share of future sales or makes a short-term loan is betting that your deposits will keep coming in. Industries get restricted when that bet is harder to price. The usual reasons are:
| Category | Common reason |
|---|---|
| Cannabis and related products | Federal law and banking access |
| Crypto companies | Price volatility and regulatory uncertainty |
| Financial firms, lenders, check cashers | The business is itself a lender; overlapping risk |
| Bail bonds and pawn shops | Regulatory exposure and irregular cash flow |
| Real estate and mortgage businesses | Large, irregular closings instead of steady deposits |
| Auto sales | Lumpy deposits and floor-plan debt already on the inventory |
| Gas stations | Thin margins; much of the deposit volume passes through to fuel suppliers |
| Roofing, new residential construction, residential remodeling | Project-based income, weather, disputes and lien exposure |
| Solar and energy installers | Project timing and dependence on incentives |
| Long-distance trucking | Fuel and rate swings and high equipment costs |
| Farming and agriculture | Seasonal and weather-driven income |
| Non-profits | Legal structure; no future sales to purchase |
No list is universal. A category restricted by one funder may be accepted by another, sometimes with tighter terms.
Garden Funding LLC (gardenfunding.com, Dania Beach, Florida) publishes its list openly. According to its website, checked October 15, 2026, its restricted industries are bail bonds, pawn shops, roofing, cannabis, farming/agriculture, real estate/mortgages, non-profits, crypto companies, auto sales, gas stations, solar/energy and financial firms, plus Canadian-based and Puerto Rico-based companies. Its general guidelines also ask for more than $20,000 a month in revenue, no more than 6 negative days and at least 1 year in business.
Publishing the list is useful: an owner can tell in a minute whether to apply. Garden may suit an established business outside those categories that clears the guidelines comfortably. See our Garden Funding review and MFE vs Garden Funding.
$5,000 to $5,000,000. Scores from 500 considered. Same-day decisions are common on complete files.
Review My Funding Options →Browse industries we work with, or check the broader business funding requirements.
| Your situation | Next step |
|---|---|
| Non-profit organization | Not eligible with MFE; look at grants or a community lender |
| New residential construction or remodeling | Restricted at MFE; ask about equipment financing, or about commercial work if that is your main revenue |
| Long-distance trucking | Restricted at MFE; ask about equipment financing or factoring of invoices to shippers |
| Any other industry | Apply online or call (305) 384-8391 for a program-by-program review |
Merchant Fund Express reviews merchant cash advances, working capital, lines of credit, equipment financing, invoice factoring and refinancing of existing advances, from $5,000 to $5,000,000.
Review My Funding Options →Or call (305) 384-8391. English and Spanish.
Income is project-based and weather-dependent, customers dispute work, and mechanics' liens can complicate collections. MFE's programs restrict new residential construction and residential remodeling; other construction trades, including commercial work, are reviewed on the actual file.
No. Non-profits are not eligible for MFE programs. Their legal structure does not fit products that purchase future sales or rely on business revenue the same way, so grants, community development lenders or member-based credit unions are usually a better starting point.
Long-distance trucking is restricted by many funders, MFE's programs included, because fuel prices, freight rates and equipment costs swing widely. Other transportation businesses are reviewed program by program, and equipment financing may be an option.
According to its website, checked October 15, 2026: bail bonds, pawn shops, roofing, cannabis, farming/agriculture, real estate/mortgages, non-profits, crypto, auto sales, gas stations, solar/energy and financial firms, plus Canadian- and Puerto Rico-based companies.
Not necessarily. Lists differ, and a restriction often applies to one product but not another. Ask which product the restriction covers, and whether equipment financing or invoice factoring could work for your business instead.
Sources. Garden Funding guidelines. Competitor details checked October 15, 2026. Merchant Fund Express publishes this page and offers competing business funding; it has no affiliation with the companies named. Terms change, so confirm them with each company. Spotted an error? Call (305) 384-8391.