Impact Investment Funds in Canada

Individual loans of up to $5000 ($10,000 for second time borrowers) are made using a character based lending decision, where the abilities, skills and commitment of the applicant in conjunction with the strength of the business plan are key decision criteria. ACCESS funds made up of investments from socially minded individuals and organizations are used to guarantee the loans. The loans are disbursed through our financial partners, Alterna Savings and CIBC. ACCESS clients are typically entrepreneurs who have been running a business less than two years and or just starting a new business. A new mini-loan program supporting internationnal trained professionals without access to credit was recently launched. The borrower may be a new immigrant, have little or no credit history, or may have a poor credit record due to unemployment, illness or unforeseen life event. In addition - o Women’s Business Accelerator - with a focus on helping newcomer women create their own small business’s. This is done through a series of workshops and training.

• SDG 11 – Sustainable cities and communities

• Children
• Adolescents
• Adults
• Minority populations
• Women
• Other at-risk populations

• Canada