Allies for Community Business
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Mission Statement
Allies for Community Business (A4CB) provides the capital, coaching, and connections entrepreneurs need to grow great businesses in their communities. A4CB believes that entrepreneurs from any background can start and grow businesses that create wealth for their families and communities.
About This Cause
A4CB’s mission is to provide the capital, coaching, and connections entrepreneurs need to grow great businesses in their communities. We believe that entrepreneurs from any background can start and grow businesses that create generational wealth for their families and communities. As a mission-driven nonprofit based on Chicago’s West Side, A4CB supports entrepreneurs throughout the Chicagoland who face barriers in accessing the business resources they need to start and grow a business. Since 1994, A4CB has provided more than $115 million in loans to more than 10,000 small business owners, which in turn have generated or sustained an estimated 30,000 jobs in primarily diverse and low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. Each year more than 90% of A4CB clients are diverse entrepreneurs, women, and/or entrepreneurs with low incomes. Our services: Capital: A4CB offers small business term loans and lines of credit between $500 and $100,000 to early, emerging, and established businesses. Our borrowing process is designed to be easy, personal, and culturally sensitive. A4CB is also different from most lenders, including many of our Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) peers, in that we do not consider credit scores or the value of collateral in assessing loan applications, which further increases access to affordable capital for the clients we serve. Coaching: We offer free coaching that meets the needs of clients at different stages of business growth. We utilize a curriculum of 36 milestone-based coaching activities that help businesses accelerate their growth at a pace that is reasonable for each business. We also provide personal financial coaching which addresses the lack of financial literacy that can lead to less wealth and opportunity, especially for groups that need it most. Via this coaching, we help clients set financial goals, create a budget, manage debt, and plan for growth. Connections: We offer licensing support, kitchen space via The Hatchery, and access to procurement opportunities with large institutional buyers. Through our designation as a Chicago Business Center by the City of Chicago, we prepare business owners for supplier diversity contract opportunities and W/MBE certification.