The Impact Of The Community Loan Fund

Have you ever heard of The Community Loan Fund Of The Capital Region?

The Community Loan Fund is an organization that helps stimulate the small business economy. How? They provide low interest small business loans to women and minority owned businesses of the Capital Region (Upstate NY). They also provide job training and technical assistance for entrepreneurs. The best part? Individuals like you can invest extra cash to enable this success in your local community. The Community Loan Fund’s growing number of investors – over 450 individuals, faith-based institutions, unions, foundations, banks, and other business and civic groups – collect interest on their investments and enjoy a 100% repayment rate.

You may be wondering why I'm talking about this impactful organization this week. The Community Loan Fund is a huge part of The Makeup Curio Story. Because of them, I was able to move out of the back room of my house in 2017 and open our first retail space at 510 State Street. It's because of them I continue to stay on track with what every entrepreneur deals with on a daily basis but no one talks about: bookkeeping and finances (my least favorite thing to manage, but also the most important). And it's because of them I did not have to close up shop permanently when I awarded a much needed Covid Relief Grant in May 2020 that enabled The Makeup Curio to survive the summer.

They regularly highlight and promote their borrowers, which means more to me personally than anything else they can do. Our latest collaboration is a web series called Banging On Doors. I was honored to be interviewed for Women's History Month. Check out our interview below:

If you care about small business in your community, I encourage you to find an organization like The Community Loan Fund, and of course to #shopsmall.

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