Why Support Us

Many very small business owners, or microbusinesses, lack access to traditional sources of financing because of the risk associated with lending to small, emerging businesses, past credit difficulties, or insufficient collateral. However, those constraints do not mean that these businesses can't be successful. Yet, without access to capital, many small business owners shut their doors, never start, fail to expand, or turn to exploitative sources of financing, such as payday and title loans, or even credit cards.

At Accion Chicago, we have a commitment to building communities by providing fair and accessible business services to entrepreneurs who can create jobs and economic growth. Our clients represent communities across the Chicagoland area and are over 70% low-to-moderate income. 

We support entrepreneurs by disbursing loans, offering business counseling and provide training and education. Our loan program has flexible collateral requirements: we accept non-traditional forms of collateral such as vehicles and general business assets.  We also work with individuals who have damaged or limited credit history. Through our program, small business owners are able to continue working to increase their assets, build better credit history, and establish a profitable operating history, paving the way for entering the mainstream financial market.  You can view our impact studies and annual reports online.

Accion Chicago is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), the only SBA Microlender in the state of Illinois, and a member of the US Accion Network, representing over half the microloans disbursed in the United States. 

To access our GuideStar page, click the logo below.