Borrowers, Community Engagement, Investors

Building a New, More Equitable Normal for Small Business and Nonprofits

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On June 10, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated the effects of centuries of racist policies. If we don’t act fast, this crisis will rob our communities of vibrancy, diversity, and strength for many generations to come. The current global recognition of the deep roots of racism reinforces how critical it is to use all the tools in one’s toolbox to advance racial justice. As such, finance can and should be used as a tool for change in advancing economic and health equity in our communities. Together, we can turn the tide.
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Borrowers, Community Engagement, News

Fighting for Immigrant Rights During COVID-19

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On May 28, 2020
During times of crisis, it's even more critical to uphold our values and stand up for those who are denied the right to stand up for themselves. Join our fight for immigrant rights by joining the Freedom100 Circle, a one-year commitment where members engage with Freedom for Immigrants and Mission Driven Finance to launch and grow our Freedom100 Bond Fund, while educating the public about the U.S. immigration detention system and community-based alternatives to detention.
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Borrowers, Community Engagement, News

How the Community Finance Fellows are learning during a pandemic

  • Posted by Wilda Wong
  • On April 29, 2020
While sheltering-in-place during a pandemic, we welcomed five Community Finance Fellows to our team in March to begin learning in a virtual environment: Louise Jordan, a renewed San Diegan with a legal background who moved back from Virginia to join us; Andrew Moncada, a financial analyst from Florida who wants to run his own impact investment firm one day; Benson Ochira, a refugee from Uganda with a degree in business management; Essence Rodriguez, an undergrad research fellow with the U.S. Immigration Policy Center; and Crystal Sevilla, an executive assistant from San Diego with a deep interest in economics and finance. See how they are learning during a pandemic.
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Borrowers, Community Engagement

Small Businesses & Nonprofits Respond to COVID-19

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On April 27, 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has forced small businesses and nonprofits around the world, including our Advance borrowers, to forget business as usual and respond in creative ways to best serve their community and survive—quickly. From delivering essential household goods and locally sourced food to staying connected with families by livestreaming nature walks, these businesses and organizations demonstrate the flexibility, resilience, and heart that make small businesses critical for communities to thrive.
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Borrowers, Investors

Finding the way back through evidence-based holistic treatment

  • Posted by Wilda Wong
  • On April 21, 2020
The Way Back uses trauma-informed care in its client activities—clinical groups, education groups, mindfulness meditation, relapse prevention groups, codependency groups, anger management, emotional regulation, and individual psychotherapy. “We are training men to be better fathers, better husbands, better employees, to stay out of prison, to work, to communicate,” says The Way Back Executive Director Chris Thomas, a licensed therapist who has been sober for 25 years. “Men are an important part of family structure, and addiction is a family disease.”
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Borrowers, Investors, Resources

COVID-19 Letter to Borrowers

  • Posted by Lauren Grattan
  • On March 18, 2020
We're sharing with you—our community—the same message for small businesses and nonprofits that we provided to our active borrowers. During this challenging time, stay true to your values and support each other. None of us will come out of this unchanged. See our COVID-19 resources for small businesses and nonprofits.
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Borrowers, Resources

5 Things to Know About Getting an Impact-Based Loan for Your Business

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On August 27, 2019
There comes a time for many small businesses and nonprofits when you’re ready to grow and expand, but find yourself in an awkward, in between space—you’ve outgrown microfinance and often SBA loans, but don’t quite fit bank financing criteria. That’s where we come in. While you have great plans, you might need customized transaction structures […]
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Borrowers

LuckyBolt Uses Creative Capital to Develop Community

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On July 18, 2019
When we first met Kris Schlesser, founder of LuckyBolt, he was six years into a quest to make the perfect breakfast burrito easily accessible to professionals on the go. He had been financing the business with high-interest credit cards and microloans. Though he had met some venture capital firms interested in last-mile food delivery, they […]
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Borrowers

Supporting African Artisans at Work and Beyond

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On May 16, 2019
In honor of the one-year anniversary of our official launch party, we’re catching up with one of our very first borrowers, All Across Africa. Since our investment in late 2017, All Across Africa has: Employed 400 new artisans. Provided solar lights to their artisans in Rwanda on a lease-to-own model, 37% below market price. This […]
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