This isn't charity.
It's capital.
Affordable loans from $2,500 to $350,000 for small businesses in Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Queens and the Bronx.
HEF is the U.S. Treasury–certified CDFI lending affiliate of Harlem Commonwealth Council. Every dollar repaid goes back out as another loan.
See if we can fund you — in about two minutes.
Answer a few questions about the business. You’ll get the product that fits, a read on where you stand, and the paperwork to start gathering.
- About the business
- What the money is for
- Your match and next step
No credit check · not an application
We read the whole business, not just the score.
Banks underwrite from a distance. We underwrite from 125th Street — which is why businesses that get declined downtown get funded here.
The whole story, not one number
A credit score is one input, not a verdict. We look at operating history, cash flow and what the business actually does — then we make the call ourselves. No scoring model, no committee three states away.
Mission, not margin
HEF is a nonprofit CDFI, not a margin business. Rates and terms are set to get capital working in the neighborhood, and repayments fund the next borrower rather than a shareholder.
Neighbors, not a call center
You can walk into 361 West 125th Street and sit down with the people who will underwrite your loan — and who still answer the phone after it closes.
Four ways to get funded.
$2,500 to $350,000. Amounts below are the ceiling on each product; final terms come out of underwriting.
Not sure which one fits? Send us the business and what the money is for — we’ll tell you which product to apply for.
What that capital has actually done.
Not a pipeline, not a pledge. Money closed, drawn and repaid by businesses in upper Manhattan and the Bronx.
Cumulative since inception · figures subject to update
HEF lends. HCC advises.
Capital works better with a plan behind it. Our parent organization, Harlem Commonwealth Council, provides that side free of charge — and you don’t need an HEF loan to use it.
- One-on-one business advising and financial coaching
- Opportunity for Growth — a cohort program for owners scaling up
- NYC Business Solutions — city-funded courses, hiring and compliance help
Three ways in.
There’s no application fee and no obligation. If we’re not the right lender for you, we’ll say so and point you somewhere that is.
Check what you qualify for
Two minutes, no credit check, nothing filed. The Funding Navigator asks about the business and tells you which product fits and what to gather.
Start a loan inquiry
Send us the business name, how long you’ve been operating, roughly what you need and what it’s for. A loan officer replies with the product that fits and the documents to gather.
Speak to a loan officer
Prefer a conversation before anything in writing? Call us during business hours, or walk into the office on 125th Street between Morningside and St Nicholas.
HEF is an Equal Opportunity Fund · 361 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027 · Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm