Getting a Commercial Loan from Self-Help
We offer loans from $15,000 and up,* with no maximum size. We lend to businesses and nonprofits in a variety of industries, and specialize in sectors like child care loans, food system loans and more.
Step One:
Check out the sector page for the sector that best matches your project (linked below) to learn more about eligibility and loan terms.
Our Sectors:
Step Two:
Complete our Commercial Lending Inquiry Form and we will be in touch with you to discuss the specifics of your project.
* Need a loan for less than $15,000?
Contact your local branch.
Our Underwriting Criteria
Responsible lending is part of our mission. To finance your project, our team will want to know that your business or nonprofit can handle the debt you're taking on. We analyze projects by looking at several factors:
- Mission: Our lending supports our mission to create and protect economic opportunity, especially in underserved communities. We aim to finance projects that help families and communities thrive.
- Cash Flow: Our team needs confidence that your business earns enough revenue to support the debt payments you take on. We typically require projects to maintain a certain debt service coverage ration, which means your business needs to cover our debt service payments each year with some amount of revenue left over.
- Capital: If you are looking for financing, we want to make sure you have equity in the project too. You may already have this equity, or ownership, in your property, or we may require a new cash investment.
- Collateral: Self-Help makes loans that are fully secured by collateral such as real estate. If there is not enough collateral, we have programs that may help fill the gap.
- Capacity: Our team will examine the capacity and experience of project owners, managers and guarantors, to make sure the project has appropriate support.
our lending supports both commercial real estate and small business projects. We focus our impact and expertise in the following sectors:
• Healthy foods • Charter schools • Childcare centers • Faith-based institutions
• Affordable housing • Small businesses • Non-profits • Healthcare
our lending supports both commercial real estate and small business projects. We focus our impact and expertise in the following sectors:
• Healthy foods • Charter schools • Childcare centers • Faith-based institutions
• Affordable housing • Small businesses • Non-profits • Healthcare
our lending supports both commercial real estate and small business projects. We focus our impact and expertise in the following sectors:
• Healthy foods • Charter schools • Childcare centers • Faith-based institutions
• Affordable housing • Small businesses • Non-profits • Healthcare
our lending supports both commercial real estate and small business projects. We focus our impact and expertise in the following sectors:
• Healthy foods • Charter schools • Childcare centers • Faith-based institutions
• Affordable housing • Small businesses • Non-profits • Healthcare
Our lending supports our mission to create and protect economic opportunity, especially in underserved communities. We aim to finance projects that help families and communities thrive.
Our lending supports our mission to create and protect economic opportunity, especially in underserved communities. We aim to finance projects that help families and communities thrive.