The impact of ACCION Chicago is considerable. Between July 2004 and July 2007, ACCION Chicago made over 275 microloans to 246 entrepreneurs in the Chicagoland area. In early 2008, ACCION Chicago was fortunate to receive a Board Fellow from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (GSB). The fellow worked with ACCION Chicago staff, Net Impact , and Campus Catalyst to conduct an impact study and analysis of the benefits of ACCION's loan programs.

Impact Study Highlights

• 92% of ACCION Chicago clients surveyed are still in business 2 years after receiving a microloan, compared to the national average of only 66%.
• 1.2 jobs were created per business within three years of receiving a loan, bringing total jobs created or maintained to 4.5 per business.
• Businesses reported dramatically increased revenues, net incomes, and tax contributions after 18 months.
• 85% of clients have some form of insurance, with only 55% having health insurance.

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Also, please find the ACCION USA Impact Report here: Measuring Client Success: An Evaluation of ACCION's Impact on Microenterprises in the United States.
This study presents the methodology, findings and conclusions of ACCION's study of how microenterprises that have received credit from the first six ACCION U.S. programs have fared over time. The quantitative results of the analysis of financial data collected from participating microentrepreneurs are presented, along with qualitative interviews with a sample of clients. This publication is the first evaluation of how credit affects microentrepreneurs in the United States to be made available to the public.

ACCION Chicago Program Growth

The vast majority of ACCION clients are located in Cook County. Since inception we've disbursed more than 2,000 loans  to more than 1,000 businesses. Each of our clients establishes or sustains an average of 3.5 jobs. We are proud to be a part of developing and providing sustainable business solutions.