Neighbor Fund – A Small Business Loan Fund for Bayview San Francisco

A Small Business Loan Fund for Bayview San Francisco

Neighbor Fund is a community-based, community-vetted, small business revolving loan fund.

Community-based. Loans focus on businesses located in San Francisco’s 94124 zip code.

Community-vetted. Borrowers’ creditworthiness is validated through existing community relationships instead of impersonal credit scores.

Small business. Loans are geared toward expansion for existing businesses with between $50K and $2MM in annual revenues and at least 1 full-time staff (including entrepreneur).

Together we're committed to Bayview's flourishing. As neighbors.

How does it work?

We loan for capital purchases for business expansion:

Amounts range from $3,000 to $10,000
Interest rates range from 3 to 7%
Loans can be for one to three years (12 – 36 months)

In setting the rate of interest we take into account your ability to repay. Loans can be structured to be repaid over a one to three year (12 – 36 month) period.

Why do we do it?

We lend to build up the community.

Our philosophy is simple. We want to recover a practice of lending based on person-to-person relationship and deep knowledge of one another. We lend to build up the community in all its relationships. We hope borrowers and lenders become friends.

We lend person to person.

Our approach is personal. We talk with you about loan amounts and interest rates that work for your business. We ask for letters of reference and financials rather than running credit scores. We also ask borrowers to serve on a loan committee to help recommend other loans to make. We plan on eating together and enjoying one another’s company.

We lend from gratitude and for flourishing.

We see the interest borrowers pay on a loan as a way for those who loan money, together with those who borrow it, properly to share in the fruits of a flourishing business.

We firmly believe money does not “make money.” Good work combined with the blessing put in Creation by a good and generous Creator is the only thing that brings true increase. We lend in a way that recognizes this.