Mission

The mission of the Chicago Community Loan Fund is to provide flexible, affordable and responsible financing and technical assistance for community stabilization and development efforts and initiatives that benefit low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, families and individuals throughout metropolitan Chicago.

CCLF was founded in 1991 by a group of visionary social-investment advocates. Their aim was to create a nimble, flexible nonprofit lender who would fill the community development credit gaps as they emerged across the city and region. In particular, CCLF was created to ensure that Chicagoland community developers (including small and emerging groups) would have a lender to turn to for harder-to-underwrite projects and enterprises.

CCLF Video

How it Works

Individual and institutional investors concerned about the social dividend of their investments place funds in CCLF at or below market-rate, creating a pool of loan capital dedicated to improving the lives of people in disinvested communities. CCLF, in turn, re-lends this capital at a rate close to or at prime to finance community organizations’ development projects.

Investment Management

CCLF manages our investors’ capital according to stringent guidelines established by the Opportunity Finance Network, the leading network of community development financial institutions. Security is provided by the pooled risk that a fund provides, loan loss reserves, permanent equity and subordinated debt investments.

CCLF is a federally certified community development financial institution (CDFI) and is rated by AERIS™, the CDFI Assessment and Rating System, a comprehensive, third-party analysis that provides guidance to investors and donors.