Lending
Lending—With a Mission
As a certified Community Development Financial Institution, or CDFI, the Initiative Foundation works to create economic opportunity throughout Central Minnesota by lending funds to locally owned businesses. The Foundation’s lending initiatives play a crucial role in promoting economic development, revitalizing underserved communities, and fostering financial inclusion.
By providing access to capital and support to borrowers who may face barriers, CDFIs like the Initiative Foundation help to create opportunities for economic growth and empowerment in disadvantaged areas.
Helping Central Minnesota Prosper
Since its founding, the Initiative Foundation—powered by you and a host of regional, state and national partnerships—has witnessed the following results:
$499 Million
Investments leveraged through lead-bank partnerships
$66.1 Million
Gap, direct and microloan lending
14,539
Jobs created or retained
Find a Loan to Meet Your Needs
Initiative Foundation lending programs combine financial assistance with a social mission by providing borrowers with wrap-around supports to ensure their success.
Gap Loans
Gap lending at the Initiative Foundation is a partnership between the borrower, a lead lender and our lending team. Gap loans “fill the gap” between what a bank can provide and what the borrower needs to remain solvent on a business-investment project.
Direct Loans
By providing access to affordable capital and support, CDFIs like the Initiative Foundation help individuals and organizations overcome barriers, stimulate local economies, and foster greater inclusion in communities that have traditionally lacked access.
Microloans
Initiative Foundation microloans provide an alternate financing option and play a crucial role in supporting entrepreneurship, fostering economic self-sufficiency, and creating opportunities for individuals and small businesses in underserved communities.
Technical Support for You
Lending programs at the Initiative Foundation go beyond just providing capital. We also provide technical support to help borrowers succeed. Support can come in many forms, from business planning and credit counseling to other forms of education to bolster borrowers’ financial and business-management capacity.
Meet the Lending Team
Loan officers Dan Bullert and Doug Adams helm the Initiative Foundation’s lending programs.
News
Minnesota-based CDFIs Hold First Convening
ST. CLOUD, Minn.–A majority of Minnesota’s 33 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) will send leaders and program staff to a kickoff convening of the first-ever… Read More
Adams Joins Expanded Business Finance Team
LITTLE FALLS, MINN.–The Initiative Foundation is expanding its capacity to provide regional small business lending with the addition of Doug Adams to the business finance… Read More
Voerding Named Vice President for Inclusive Entrepreneurship
LITTLE FALLS, MINN.–The Initiative Foundation, a regional foundation with a focus on economic and community development in the 14 counties of Central Minnesota, has announced… Read More
IQ Magazine Stories
A History of Helping
A look at three businesses that received early—and pivotal— Initiative Foundation loans and how they’ve grown. Read More
Granting With Gratitude
Nearly $26 million in grants help small business, nonprofits survive more than two years of uncertainty. Read More
Regional Highlights
Get the latest highlights from Central Minnesota’s 14 counties and two sovereign tribal nations. Read More