Small-business lending is down.

Pick a reason, but that won’t change the fact that lots of small firms would like to borrow money to expand or buy some new equipment right now.

So, what to do?

Well, the Philadelphia District of U.S. Small Business Administration is planning to host four “matchmaking events” this month where hopeful borrowers can pitch willing lenders. And the price seems right: free.

The first will be held next Wednesday at the Radisson Valley Forge Hotel in King of Prussia from 9 a.m. to noon.

It’s a bit of a departure for the SBA to do this. The federal agency has held matchmaking events to connect government procurement officers with potential private-sector contractors. But getting bankers and entrepreneurs in the same room?

Dave Dickson, director of the SBA’s Philadelphia District, freely admitted that he stole the idea from his New York City counterpart, who held such an event about two months ago.

It will be the business equivalent of speed dating - 10-minute pitches in a one-on-one meeting with a lender. That’s enough time to say who you are, what your business does, what you want financing for, and how much you need. It won’t be enough time for the banker to say, “You sold me. Here’s your check.”

“This is like getting on first base, so to speak,” Dickson said.

If the interests of entrepreneur and lender coincide, then a more in-depth interview would happen later, Dickson said.

Of the 44 lenders expected to participate, 33 are banks, seven are microloan lenders, and four are certified development companies. The banks range from the biggest locally (Wachovia) to the very small (Milestone Bank in Doylestown).

Over the last year, small and medium-size lenders have been responsible for a big chunk of the lending activity associated with the SBA loan programs in Pennsylvania. According to statistics covering the period from Oct. 1 through July 31, Upper Darby-based Eagle National Bank accounted for $21.9 million in loan volume, and Parke Bank, of Sewell, was close behind with $21.2 million.

M&T Bank made 155 loans totaling $14.3 million in the region - more than double Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania’s 60 loans for a collective $2.9 million.

Thanks to certain now-expired incentives, loan volume for the SBA’s Philadelphia District had been its second-highest ever between Oct. 1 and May 31, Dickson said. Lenders made 897 SBA loans totaling $287 million during that period. But activity dropped off significantly in June and July, he said.

The Federal Reserve also found a widespread decline in small-business lending. At a conference in July, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said banks’ loans to small business had fallen from more than $710 billion in the second quarter of 2008 to less than $670 billion in the first quarter of 2010.

Debates over why are what political campaigns are made of. But Robin Prager, assistant director of the Fed Board of Governors’ Division of Research and Statistics, pointed out at the July conference that surveys of senior loan officers indicate they are stretched thin dealing with problem loans and trying to keep up with regulatory changes. One result: They have less time for processing loan applications for small-business clients.

With some local lenders making time to consider new loans next Wednesday, small-business people ought to go and be heard.

To discourage your Uncle Ned from showing up seeking funding for his flea circus, the SBA recommends borrowers bring a lot of documentation to make their case to lenders, including a business plan with three years of historical financial statements or two years of projections for start-ups.

Other information that bankers will want to see include a personal financial statement, tax returns, a list of available collateral, a credit report, and a detailed loan request.

“Unfortunately, the days of relationship banking are over,” Dickson said. “Banks need a lot of information.”

Matchmaking can only promise to bring borrower and lender face to face, not make sparks fly. Banks have tightened their lending standards, and lots of small businesses are less credit-worthy now than they were three years ago.

But getting a foot in the door, even if it’s just for 10 minutes, could pay off for those businesses with the right project at the right time.

The SBA is requiring all businesses to pre-register. As of Tuesday, about 150 had done so for the King of Prussia event. Dickson said he expects about 300 will sign up, although there is space for up to 400.

The agency will hold similar matchmaking programs in Bethlehem on Sept. 14, Harrisburg on Sept. 22, and Pittston on Sept. 23.