Real people, real business, real impact: Discover how CDFI finance is transforming lives through CDFI success stories
Maysa
“I love what I do and it brings people joy.”
Maysa is founder of the Shik Shak Shok School of belly dance. She is a refugee from Syria who started teaching belly-dancing in 2021.
Maysa offers culturally informative and gender inclusive belly-dancing classes alongside a full-time job to support newcomers to London.
Interest-free loans from a CDFI, Skylight Ventures, enabled Maysa to secure a venue for a year so she could develop her classes and enable access and participation.
Baillie Reynolds Maintenance
CDFI refinancing cuts business costs by £14,000 a month
David Baillie launched his business in 2019 to serve housing associations, councils and other social housing landlords. It is based in Paulton, a former coal mining village in Somerset.
The firm was growing sustainably until the Covid-19 pandemic, when he still needed to pay leasing fees for vans and insurance bills. These cost the business around a third of a million pounds.
He used his personal funds to sustain the business but needed to borrow to recover, and with a couple of years of losses in his accounts, banks could not help. David turned to high-cost online lenders.
He says "The only gig in town came with 60 per cent interest, because we were considered subprime lending. It meant that every payment of £15,000 included £9,000 interest.”
David subsequently found a CDFI, SWIG Finance, a CITR-accredited Responsible Finance member which was able to meet David and get to understand his business and its true potential.
By refinancing with SWIG he saved £14,000 per month. He adds, "Rather than being caught in 12-month loans, we could finance over five years, clear everything, and get our cashflow back in sync.”
Helena and Simon
Helena and Simon Hills launched TrueStart Coffee in 2015, “to make the world healthier and happier”. Their coffee is now stocked by retailers including Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, Costco and Ocado.
A £158,000 loan from SWIG Finance in 2024 “helped us immensely, says Simon. “When we were about to launch into Asda and Costco, we needed money to buy stock. We drew a blank with the traditional banks at the time.”
TrueStart’s explosive growth from £1m to £7m turnover following SWIG’s support is “just the beginning,” says Helena.
The firm, a B Corp, recently closed a Series A investment with JamJar.
Word on the Curb
For founders Ndu Uchea and Hayel Wartemberg, Word on the Curb was never going to be just another marketing agency.
It began as a passion project between two university students who felt young people were being misunderstood and misrepresented in mainstream media.
In 2013, while studying in Manchester, the pair launched a YouTube channel with one simple aim: to create honest conversations and tell stories that reflected the reality of youth culture. Today, Word on the Curb is a full-service audience engagement and creative agency with a team of 10 full-time and five part-time staff,
In 2024, Lloyds introduced the founders to the idea of community development finance through Let’s Do Business Finance (LDBF). Word on the Curb secured a £30,000 loan through LDBF. This funding allowed the business to repay an expensive short-term loan, giving it a stronger financial foundation, clearer long-term strategy and a renewed confidence in its future.
The mission remains unchanged from those early days filming conversations on the streets of Manchester: creating authentic connections, amplifying underrepresented voices and helping organisations better understand the people they want to reach. And for Ndu and Hayel, that human connection is what made the support from Let’s Do Business Finance so impactful.
“People have so many tools at their disposal like AI, but I don’t think that will ever substitute what you get from an in-person or personal introduction and suggestion,” says Ndu. “The CDFI experience itself is so personal and so human. It was such a positive experience.”
Floresse swerves sharks with CDFI support
Floresse has two professional jobs and brings up her family, but no-one would give her a loan when she had an emergency expense. She considered going to a loan shark.
Luckily, she found Adage Credit, a black and minority ethnic focused loan provider which supports people experiencing exclusion from the financial system.
“It’s vital that companies like Adage exist. When you struggle and have nowhere to turn to, you know they understand.”
Ryan: finance for car to get to work saved hundreds per month
Without a car it would be pretty much impossible for Ryan, 25, to get to work and do his job. “I work in powder coating with big industrial fans and air conditioning units,” he says, “and a car is essential for everyday life and going to work.”
But a reliable vehicle isn’t cheap, and it can be hard to finance, “especially as my credit score is just average,” says Ryan. So when he saw an advert for a CDFI, Salad, he investigated, then applied for a loan to bridge the gap between the money he had available and the cost of the car he needed.
“You’re the best loan company I looked at,” says Ryan. “The monthly repayment with you is a good couple of hundred pounds lower than any other company I looked at. Keeping that money in my pocket means I can afford to live. It was simple to apply and I wasn’t fazed by the open banking check, it meant you could see if I could afford to borrow.
“Paying for my car over 12 months on the most suitable date for when I get paid has removed so much stress.”
Social care charity expands
Kilcreggan Homes is expanding its accommodation and care offering with flexible loan support from Community Finance Ireland.
The independent charity provides housing, day and employment opportunities for adults with a diagnosed learning disability or autism who need support to live independently. It supports 160 people across Northern Ireland every week.
Flexible loan finance totalling £513k has been committed towards the purchase of properties to support adults with complex needs.
Community Finance Ireland has also contributed towards the development of the Mid Ulster Sanctuary/Therapeutic Farm, offering day opportunities in traditional skills and building services.
“Having a partner who is approachable and friendly, who listens and offers support that you know is designed to help us, creates mutual trust,” says Damian Cassidy of Kilcreggan Homes.
Aldi wanted to stock our sauces but we needed £100,000
Jaydon Manders' business was flying. It had secured an investor on Dragon's Den. Then Aldi wanted to stock its sauces. There was only one problem – it needed working capital to fulfill the order.
Despite a healthy, growing turnover, the bank couldn't lend to the firm. Jaydon found a local community development finance institution, BCRS Loans, an ethical, not-for-profit lender which takes a "human approach."
Now it's taken on two new employees. A £100,000 loan from BCRS unlocked Lumberjaxe's growth, as Jaydon explains in this short video clip.
The Caribbean & African Health Network: health equity and frontline services
The Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN) was founded by Prof Faye Ruddock in 2017 following her doctoral research, which highlighted health disparities for Black people in the UK. CAHN addresses these inequalities through advocacy, education, and frontline services. It collaborates with healthcare providers, policymakers, and stakeholders to make health services culturally competent and equitable.
When a reorganisation of the health and social care landscape created short-term financial instability for CAHN, despite it holding public sector and NHS contracts, Key Fund provided a £120,000 loan. “I found Key Fund to be proactively supportive,” explains Chief Executive Charles Kwaku-Odoi.
The funding was used to maintain service delivery and retain staff and frontline services, while responding to the evolving needs of its community.
Following the funding, CAHN employs 50 people, operates with a £2.5m turnover, and supports research partnerships with around 60 universities.