June 2025: CBA Fund Loan and Grant Application

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Application Accommodations

We offer the opportunity to complete the application responses in alternate formats, including audio and Word documents and are happy to provide accessible formats for people with disabilities.

Please email cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org if you would like to apply using an alternate format.

Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, you have the right to submit a complaint for Discrimination to the Department of the Treasury or CBA Fund, which are accessible via this link: https://www.creditbuildersalliance.org/compliance/.

CBA Fund offers the opportunity to provide the application questions in alternate languages as requested. To request the application form in another language, please email cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org.

CBA Fund ofrece la oportunidad de proporcionar las preguntas de la solicitud en idiomas alternativos según se solicite. Para solicitar el formulario de solicitud en otro idioma, envíe un correo electrónico a cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org.

About this Opportunity

CBA Fund, CBA's Community Development Financial Institution Intermediary, is excited to announce a new funding opportunity for nonprofit lenders.

CBA Fund is providing loan capital, capacity building grants, and technical assistance to nonprofit lenders so they can offer affordable small dollar consumer loans (SDCL) to low- to-moderate income individuals in their communities. This support comes as a package (applicants should plan to apply for both loan capital and grant funds). We invite organizations to read through the criteria below and apply by Tuesday, July 8, 2025

We consider people to be low- to-moderate income (LMI) individuals if they earn less than 80% of Area Median Income (AMI).

NOTE: Loans and grants are provided as a package. You cannot apply for a grant alone.

Loan capital: We are providing up to $150,000 in loan capital with a repayment period of two or three years. The loan comes with a 1% origination fee and an interest rate of 2% to 4%. (See more about the loan terms in the application.)

Grants: The loan capital comes with a capacity building grant of up to $8,000 that can be used for any costs associated with your consumer lending program.

Technical Assistance: CBA Fund TA is based on your needs and our capacity to meet those needs. If funded, you will be required to participate in a cohort of lenders that meets quarterly to share best practices and problem solve issues related to small dollar consumer lending.

CBA Fund Office Hours

If your organization has never received funding from CBA Fund and you were unable to attend our Pre-Application Office Hours, please watch the recording of our Office Hours here to ensure your organization is eligible and that you fully understand the process before starting the application. You can access the recording here: CBA Fund Office Hours.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for funding your organization must:

Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, credit union, or Native agency.

Currently be a CBA member in good standing or willing to become a member.

Demonstrate the ability to use funds for an existing or new small dollar consumer loan program.

Note: We define SDCLs as loans used for personal stability uses/household purposes. These loans can be of any size, but loans that are $2,500 or less are preferred. SDCLs can include but aren't limited to: payday loan alternatives/refinance loans, emergency loans, credit builder loans, home repair loans, assistive technology loans, auto loans, etc. Our definition does NOT include small business loans or mortgages.

Currently report or are willing to report their loans to the major consumer credit bureaus.

Note: If you are not already reporting your loans through CBA or another provider, you will be required to submit your bureau application to set this up within 45 days after receiving the funding.

Have the ability to track individual credit score outcomes with soft credit pulls.

Note: If you do not already have access to soft credit pulls through CBA or another provider, you will be required to submit your bureau application to set this up within 45 days after receiving the funding.

Have the ability to provide basic information on program outputs and outcomes throughout the grant period.

Have appropriate state lending license(s) to provide consumer loans as required or can prove that your organization is exempt from needing one.

Offer loan terms that are affordable, flexible, and conducive to credit building:

A total APR of 36% or less
Loan term of at least six months
Offer options for payment modifications/flexibility as feasible, as demonstrated in your loan policies and procedures

Be in good financial standing according to past audits (if available) or organization financials and current year projections.

Be able to disburse around 75% of the loan capital within a year of receiving it.

Priority Criteria

CBA Fund will prioritize funding to organizations that:

Offer an accessible and affordable loan product that:

Was designed with community input.
Is meant to reach people in their community who have limited access to capital.
Utilizes accessible, inclusive, or non-traditional underwriting criteria and flexible but standardized loan servicing policies.

Serve low-income individuals and historically marginalized communities and are led by the populations they serve.

Provide additional support such as financial education and credit coaching to borrowers along with the loan.

Demonstrate a commitment to provide responsive, accessible, and flexible products and services.

Have a strong plan for the use of funding.

Applications are due by 7/8/2025. If your organization meets the criteria, we encourage you to apply!

The first step is taking the eligibility quiz (click next page). All applications will be rated by a panel of reviewers using the eligibility and priority criteria listed above. CBA Fund will notify applicants of our decision by 9/15/2025.

The impact reporting period is 12 months for established lenders and 18 months for those new to small dollar consumer lending. We will request general outcome data annually for the full term of the loan.

Questions You can contact cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org with any questions.

Primary Funding Source ID

Secondary Funding Source ID

Eligibility Quiz

Before you fill out the application, please take this eligibility quiz to make sure you are qualified for the funds.

First Name

Last Name

Is your organization currently a CBA member?

YesNo

Member

Please select your organization from the dropdown list. If you can't find your organization, please reach out to data@creditbuildersalliance.org and stop filling out the form.

Access Status

Reporter Status

TransUnion Status

Experian Status

Equifax Status

CoreLogic Status

TU Soft Inquiries

Experian Soft Inquiries

Equifax Soft Inquiries

EIN

Org ID

Start Date

I confirm that we will provide small dollar consumer loans with a total APR of 36% or less and a term of at least six months.

Yes, I confirmNo, I do not confirm

Will you use the funds to provide small dollar consumer loans to LMI people in your community? Note: Warning icon

We define consumer loans as loans used for personal stability uses/household purposes. These loans can be of any size, but loans that are $2,500 or less are preferred. Consumer loans can include but aren't limited to: payday loan alternatives/refinance loans, emergency loans, credit builder loans, home repair loans, assistive technology loans, auto loans, etc. Our definition does NOT include small business loans or mortgages.

YesNo

Based on our records, your organization is not pulling credit reports. Are you willing you to set-up CBA Access service in order to track credit scores (at baseline and at the end of the loan term) for your borrowers? Note: TransUnion, Experian, Equifax, or CoreLogic are the bureaus that allow outcome tracking

Yes, my organization is willing to set up to access and track credit scoresMy organization pulls credit reports for Outcome Tracking purposes through another service/mechanismNo

Pulling

YesNo

Based on our records, your organization is a CBA Access member but not pulling credit reports from either TransUnion, Experian, Equifax or CoreLogic. Are you willing you to add one of these bureaus to your CBA Access membership in order to track credit scores (at baseline and at the end of the loan term) for your borrowers? Note: Adding CoreLogic will necessitate you becoming a CBA Access Prime member.

Yes, my organization is willing to set up to pull credit reports from TransUnion, Equifax, Experian or CoreLogicMy organization pulls credit reports for Outcome Tracking purposes through another service/mechanismNo

Pulling TransUnion or Equifax or CoreLogic or Experian

YesNo

Based on our records, your organization does not report consumer loans to the credit bureaus through our CBA Reporter service. Are you willing to set-up CBA Reporter service in order to report consumer loans to the credit bureaus?

My organization reports loans to at least one credit bureau through another mechanismYes, my organization meets the CBA Reporter eligibility criteria and is willing to start the set up processNo

Reporting

YesNo

Non-Member

Organization Name

Is your organization a nonprofit 501(c)(3), credit union, or Tribal Agency?

YesNo

Are you willing to become a CBA Member? (Find out more about what CBA Membership entails here.)

YesNo

I confirm that we will provide small dollar consumer loans with a total APR of 36% or less and a term of at least six months?

Yes, I confirmNo, I do not confirm

Will you use the funds to provide small dollar consumer loans to LMI people in your community? Note: We define consumer loans as loans used for personal stability uses/household purposes. These loans can be of any size, but loans that are $2,500 or less are preferred. Consumer loans can include but aren't limited to: payday loan alternatives/refinance loans, emergency loans, credit builder loans, home repair loans, assistive technology loans, auto loans, etc. Our definition does NOT include small business loans or mortgages.

YesNo

Will you be able to track credit scores (at baseline and at the end of the loan term) through soft pulls for your borrowers?

Yes, my organization has the capability to track credit scoresYes, my organization is willing to set up to access and track credit scoresNo

Are you prepared to report these consumer loans to the credit bureaus?

Yes, my organization reports loans to at least one credit bureau through another mechanismMy organization is not currently reporting our loans but we are willing to start the set up processNo

Setting up

YesNo

Services

Your organization is likely eligible for this funding!

Please fill out the application by 11:59 PM (ET) on July 8, 2025

As you craft responses, keep in mind that when reading your application CBA Fund reviewers value:

· Information about your programs and processes rather than external data sources

· responses that directly answer the question, bullet points are ok if that's the easiest way to answer!

· Honesty about your capacity and program needs

Please remember to save your application as the application does not auto save

Organizational Information

Organization Full Legal Name

Doing Business As (if necessary):

Organization EIN

Please do not enter a placeholder EIN like "99-9999999"

Organization Phone Number

Organization Website

Physical Street Address

Physical City

Physical Zip Code

Physical State

Is your mailing address different from your physical address?

YesNo

Mailing Address

Mailing Street Address

Mailing City

Mailing Zip Code

Mailing State

Is your organization a certified CDFI?

Yes, we're a certified CDFI

We are an emerging CDFI (we have received a CDFI Fund TA Award)

We are not a certified CDFI

Other than LMI communities, does your organization offer services that are focused on any specific target populations?

Communities of color

Domestic abuse survivors

Immigrants and refugees

Justice-exposed/reentry

LGBTQ+ communities

Native/Indigenous communities

Persons with disabilities

Rural

Women

Other

If you answered Other, please provide more information.

Race/Ethnicity Demographics

What percentage of your clients identify as:

*If your organization does not collect this data, please enter 100 in unknown and 0 in all other categories*

African American / African-born / Black

Latinx / Hispanic

Asian / Pacific Islander

Native American / Alaska Native / Native Hawaiian

Multiracial

White / Caucasian

Other

Unknown

*Total fields must equal 100%*

**Need to add field that calculates total here

If you answered Other, please provide more information.

Contact Information

Name of person filling out the application

Title

Name of Authorized Representative

Title

Program Information

What services does your organization provide? Please tell us about all the financial products and services your organization provides. (Word limit: 500)

Is your organization currently lending?

YesNo

How long has your organization been lending (in years)? If less than one year please put 1 in the field.

How many loans do you originate per year?

Note: We define consumer loans as loans used for personal stability uses/household purposes. These loans can be of any size, but loans that are $2,500 or less are preferred. Consumer loans can include but aren't limited to: payday loan alternatives/refinance loans, emergency loans, credit builder loans, home repair loans, assistive technology loans, auto loans, etc. Our definition does NOT include small business loans or mortgages. Do you currently provide a consumer loan product?

YesNo

How long has your organization been providing consumer loans (in years)? If less than one year please put a 1 in the field

How many consumer loans do you originate per year?

Please select all consumer loan products your organization provides

Hold Ctrl to select multiple loan products

Other: please tell us the type(s) of consumer loans you provide

In which state(s) are you licensed for consumer lending? Please reach out to cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org if you have any questions about consumer loan licensing or need assistance.

Hold Ctrl to choose multiple states.

In which state(s) is your lending exempt from needing a lending license? (note: you must have a consumer lending license exemption memo that lists the exempting state statute). Please reach out to cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org if you have any questions or need assistance.

Hold Ctrl to choose multiple states.

In what geographic footprint do you lend or plan to lend (if different from above)?

In what geographic footprint do you lend or plan to lend with this funding?

How many participants does your organization serve per year?

Please describe the steps you've taken toward establishing a consumer loan program to include market research, product design, getting Board approval, beginning the consumer lending license process, etc. Please reach out to cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org if you have any questions or need assistance.

Please tell us more about the population(s) you serve or will serve with your small dollar consumer loan product(s). CBA Fund prioritizes organizations that have a commitment to reach people who have limited access to capital with an emphasis on historically marginalized communities. Please provide information about any intersectionality your work addresses.

(Word limit 250)

In what ways does your staff, leadership, and Board represent the communities you serve?

(Word limit 250)

What ways, if any, does your organization support the financial health and prosperity of your staff? (Word limit: 250)

CBA Fund seeks to support organizations who work with historically marginalized communities and borrowers that don't traditionally have access to credit. How does your organization serve those with no or sub-prime credit through your lending? (Word limit: 250)

Please remember to save your application as the application does not auto save

Plan for Use of Funds

Your Consumer Loan Product(s)

What is the name of the SDCL products(s) you will provide with CBA Fund loan capital? Please elaborate on what borrowers can use the loan for. (Word limit: 250)

Small Dollar Consumer Loan Terms

To receive this funding, the total APR of your loans must be 36% or less, and a loan term of at least six months. Priority criteria: loans with APRs below 18%. We will assess your loan product's APR using this APR calculator.

I confirm our small dollar consumer loans have an APR of 36% or less. Our loans have a term of at least six months.

YesNo

Minimum interest rate on your SDCLs

Maximum interest rate on your SDCLs

Do you charge an origination fee on your SDCLs?

YesNo

What method do you use to charge an origination fee:

A percentage of the loan amount (%)A flat fee ($)

Origination Fee (in dollars)

Origination Fee (percentage of loan amount)

Please list the dollar amount of any other fees you charge. If you do not change any other fees, please enter 0.

Minimum loan term (in months)

Please enter the amount of months

Maximum loan term (in months)

Please enter the amount of months

We prioritize small dollar consumer loans that are $2,500 or less. We will consider loans that are larger than $2,500 on a case-by-case basis. Please provide the sizes of consumer loans you will use this funding to support.

Minimum loan size

Maximum loan size

Please use this space to provide other loan characteristics you'd like us to know about or explain why you provide loans larger than $2,500 (if applicable)

Loan Capital & Grant Funds

How much loan capital are you requesting? (The maximum amount that you can request is $150,000, but we can’t guarantee that you will get the full amount requested.)

How many loans do you expect to provide with this capital?

Tell us about your deployment plan? After receiving this funding, when do you expect to offer the first loan with this loan capital? How do you plan to deploy about 75% of the loan capital within 12 months? (Word limit: 500)

How does your product design center the community you serve? How do you get input from your borrowers when designing your products and services? Tell us how you collect information about what your borrowers and community need and how it informs your loan design. (Word limit: 500)

We're interested in how you underwrite (or plan to underwrite) loans so that those with no or low credit have access. What are the key criteria you will use to underwrite the loans? Feel free to answer with bullet points. (Word limit: 250)

What types of support, other than loans, do you offer to your borrowers? Please elaborate about the services you provide to your borrowers. (Word limit: 250)

We prioritize working with lenders that are flexible with repayment options. What options do you offer borrowers who are unable to make a payment? (Word limit: 250)

If you receive a loan and grant from CBA Fund you will be required to use soft credit pulls to track credit score outcomes.

Do you currently collect credit score information on your borrowers?

YesNo

How are you accessing credit score information (from which bureau(s)) and for what permissible purpose(s) are you credentialed? (Permissible purposes include: access to hard pulls for underwriting or access to soft pulls for education and coaching and/or outcome tracking.)

How do you measure success for your borrowers and the impact of your loan program? Please list specific outcomes/data that you track to show success. (Word limit: 500)

What organizational challenges do you foresee in providing these loans? How do you think you will address them?

What kind of technical assistance would you find helpful to support your organization in successfully offering the loan product?

CBA Fund Loan Terms

The interest rate on the loan capital will be based on your organization's asset size.

Your organization will receive a 2% interest rate if you have less than $4 million in assets.

Your organization will receive a 3% interest rate if you have between $4 million and $10 million in assets.

Your organization will receive a 4% interest rate if you have more than $10 million in assets.

Please select which interest rate your organization qualifies for based on your asset size

My organization has less than $4 million in assets and qualifies for a 2% interest rateMy organization has between $4 million and $10 million in assets and qualifies for a 3% interest rateMy organization has more than $10 million in assets and qualifies for a 4% interest rate

Please let us know the loan term you prefer

We would like a loan with a 2-year termWe would like a loan with a 3-year term

How much grant capital are you requesting? We are offering capacity building grants of up to $8,000 that can be used for any costs associated with your SDCL program. (We can't guarantee you will receive the full amount.)

How do you plan to use these grant funds? Reminder: grant funds can only be used to support your small dollar consumer loan program.

Please select all that apply concerning your organization's consumer lending licensing status for all states in which you lend?

We have a consumer lending license for the states in which we lendWe are exempt from needing a consumer lending license and can upload proof we are exempt (exemption memo or letter from licensing entity)We do not yet have a consumer lending license or proof of exemption but are working on getting one

Please upload consumer lending licenses for all states in which you lend here

Please upload exemption memos for all states in which you lend here

What steps have you taken to obtain a consumer lending license?

Please reach out to cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org with any questions or if you need assistance.

How did you hear about CBA Fund (Please select one)

CBA NewsletterConference/Event/TrainingReferred by another organizationReferred by a partner organization (OFN, CAMEO, NALCAB, etc.)Web searchOther

Name of the conference/event/training

Name of the organization that referred you

If other, please explain

Is there anything else you want to tell us?

Please remember to save your application as the application does not auto save

Required Documents

Please upload the following documents:

Please download the financial addendum here and upload the completed financial addendum below. NOTE: you must download the financial addendum in order to edit it and add your information. **If you have trouble downloading the financial addendum please reach out to cbafund@creditbuildersalliance.org**

Most recent financial audit or annual financial statements if you do not have an audit

Second most recent financial audit or annual financial statements if you do not have an audit

Current Year to Date Balance Sheet

Current Year to Date Profit and Loss Statement

Current Year Organization Budget

Current Year Consumer Loan Program Budget

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