JumpStart Grants HFLA of Northeast Ohio $150,000 for Interest-Free Loans

Latinx and African American Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses

HFLA of Northeast Ohio received a generous grant from JumpStart allowing expansion of their small business lending activity in the region. With this support, HFLA will expand the number of interest-free loans of up to $10,000 available to minority-owned small businesses needing capital but lacking access to traditional lending sources.

“We are thrilled JumpStart understands the pressing need small business owners have for alternative lending in the form of interest-free loans.  This grant gives HFLA the opportunity to increase lending capacity and reach more entrepreneurs who need access to affordable capital,” shared Michal Marcus HFLA Executive Director.

“JumpStart’s mission is to unlock the full potential of diverse and ambitious entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, create jobs and economically transform our community,” JumpStart’s CEO Ray Leach shared. “HFLA is a trusted community organization with an impressive history of interest-free lending. We are excited to support their efforts in lending more capital to Latinx and African American entrepreneurs and small business owners in the city of Cleveland.”

HFLA has been lending interest-free in Northeast Ohio since 1904. The past three years we have seen a significant increase in small business lending to minority owned businesses.

Additional information can be found at https://interestfree.org/.

About HFLA of Northeast Ohio

HFLA of Northeast Ohio was founded in 1904 with $501 donated by Charles Ettinger, Morris Black, and their friends to help European refugees settle and begin productive lives in this country. They believed – as we do now – that if you give someone a chance to succeed, they will pay it back and we can continue this transformative cycle. The same principle guides the organization today. By providing interest-free loans to individuals, families, and small businesses in the Northeast Ohio area, we are able to help people help themselves. The association has drastically increased its lending capital in the past few years from individual gifts, bequests, endowments, foundation grants, memorials and honorariums and is now operating with a loan fund of over $1 million. HFLA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Learn more about HFLA.