SDGF Pilot Program Design

A stakeholder-focused pilot program plan for the Southern Dallas Guarantee Fund that outlines roles and responsibilities, an enrollment and onboarding outline for participating CDFIs, an outline for training nonprofit business support organizations, and a basic monitoring and risk-sharing workflow. Details will be provided during volunteer interviews.

We are dedicated to advancing low- to moderate-income communities through entrepreneurial and economic development initiatives. We bridge the access-to-capital gap, catalyze business growth to revitalize neighborhoods, and build the capacity of entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) that uplift local businesses. Our program not only increases capital access but strengthens the local economy by equipping small business owners with financial education, expert coaching, and targeted grant funding. This pilot will reduce lender risk and help unlock capital for underserved entrepreneurs by enabling CDFIs to lend with pooled guarantees. Volunteers will help increase partner capacity, expand responsible lending into Southern Dallas, and directly support business growth for underrepresented entrepreneurs.

We will provide existing fund documents, our business plan and pitch deck, and contact information for partner support organizations. Volunteers will collaborate with our team to refine the plan; we have buy-in from community partners and some of the CDFIs to pilot the program. What would set this up for success is clear value propositions for the partners and donors. Further specifics will be provided at kickoff.