Inclusiv: Unlocking credit union small business lending

Our programs

Expanding access to capital for small businesses through investments in Community Development Credit Unions

  • Though credit unions play a vital role in financing their communities, liquidity constraints often hinder their ability to scale small business lending.
  • Founded in 1974, Inclusiv is a national network of Community Development Credit Unions (CDCUs) committed to helping low- and moderate-income individuals and communities achieve financial independence through credit unions. Inclusiv channels capital, makes connections, builds capacity, develops innovative programming, and raises visibility for CDCUs and the communities they serve. 
  • The Inclusiv Network of more than 500 CDCUs -- two-thirds of which are certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) -- serves over 21.5 million residents of low- and moderate-income urban, rural, and reservation-based communities across the United States - including over 45 States and four territories - and hold nearly $320 billion in community-controlled assets.

Program overview

Our work together

  • Inclusiv’s Small Business Capital Initiative helps Inclusiv member CDCUs, including “cooperativas” in Puerto Rico, scale up their lending and unlock millions of dollars of new investment to build small businesses in low- and moderate-income communities across the country. It includes Inclusiv’s Small Business Capital Initiative Learning Center, Loan Participation Marketplace, Loan Loss Fund, and Loan Processing and Servicing support.
  • To further invest in the CDCU ecosystem, Inclusiv launched a first-of-its-kind small business loan participation marketplace. This platform enables CDCUs to buy and sell small business loans to and from other members, thereby unlocking millions of dollars of new investment to build and support small businesses. The loan participation platform aims to channel $6 million to $11 million in small business loans to 120–220 small businesses. 
  • To build the market, Inclusiv conducts outreach and recruits sellers to the loan participation platform and delivers one-on-one technical assistance to credit union sellers to ensure their lending practices meet standards for success. Inclusiv will deliver trainings to over 200 small business lender CDCUs.  
  • Through this partnership, Inclusiv has created a $500,000 loan loss reserve to support up to $6M - $11M in small business loan participations. The loan loss reserve will support higher risk, high impact loans. 

By the numbers

  • The Small Business Training Programs have been offered in English and in Spanish. To date, over 240 lending and finance professionals from over 100 CDCUs and Cooperativas completed the Small Business Capital Initiative.
  • In February 2025, Inclusiv purchased a pool of three small business loans totaling nearly $980,000 from Inclusiv member Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Jesús Obrero in Puerto Rico, freeing capital to finance loans for more entrepreneurs in their community.
  • This initiative aims to drive long-term, transformational change for small businesses across the U.S and unlock $1 billion in new lending to approximately 20,000 businesses in distressed areas in the U.S.

“Inclusiv is focused on closing gaps and removing barriers to financial opportunities for people living in distressed and underserved communities nationwide.”

Cathie Mahon

CEO, Inclusiv

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