Collaboration is the key to impact in community development. The PLAN Fund partners with other best-in-class organizations to maximize its efficiencies while generating the biggest impact on the lives of its borrowers.
Referral Partners
The PLAN Fund practices “character lending,” which is significantly different than the lending practices of traditional banks. These other models rely primarily on credit, collateral and cash flow; while the PLAN Fund considers these factors within its underwriting process, it also strongly weighs the background of its borrowers and their relationships in the community. In working with credit-challenged individuals, this is critical for determining their capacity for repayment of microloans.
Rather than rely entirely on its own relationships with the community, The PLAN Fund works with a number of other organizations to identify qualified borrowers for its services. These organizations can offer the character endorsements that can allow the PLAN Fund to process a loan to someone whose application may not otherwise look favorable on paper.
Additionally, by investing its limited funds in the businesses and entrepreneurs who already have relationships with these other organizations, the PLAN Fund can ensure its own donors that it is maximizing the leverage of their gifts.
The PLAN Fund primarily works with the following organizations to identify potential borrowers:
- Domestic Violence Shelters: The North Texas community is home to some of the nation’s finest organizations dedicated to supporting women who are escaping the terror of domestic violence. These organizations are dedicated to maintaining strong relationships with these women, and working with them to rebuild their lives. By partnering with these organizations, the PLAN Fund can equip these women with the loans, financial education and support that they need to achieve self-sufficiency.
- CitySquare (formerly Central Dallas Ministries): One of the largest community development organizations in Texas, this organization refers residents of its 15-story CityWalk@Alard downtown community. This community has 200 units of housing (including 50 for the formerly homeless), along with robust community life services and case management support that can augment the PLAN Fund’s own relationship with these borrowers.
- Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: The PLAN Fund has a successful and long-standing relationship with this organization, which refers Hispanic business owners who do not qualify for traditional financing and whose capital needs are lower than those provided by the other microlending organizations serving Dallas.
- Prison Entrepreneurship Program: This nationally recognized leader in prison re-entry refers its top graduates to the PLAN Fund for financing of their businesses. Read more about this exciting partnership here.
- South Dallas/Fair Park Trust: A long-time financial supporter of the PLAN Fund, this program of the City of Dallas refers borrowers who are not qualified for its own financing programs and who need the additional training/support services provided by the PLAN Fund and its other partners.
Additionally, the PLAN Fund has also received referrals from Accion Texas, Inner-City Development Corporation, The MEED Center, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Bill J. Priest Campus of El Centro College,Soap Hope, the Southwest Center Mall (formerly known as Red Bird Mall) and the Women’s Southwest Federal Credit Union.
The PLAN Fund is actively forming several new partnerships with other organizations; if your organization would be interested in referring potential borrowers to the PLAN Fund, please contact the PLAN Fund’s Executive Director, Jeremy Gregg.
Support Service Partners
With over a decade of experience offering its own business training and financial education, the PLAN Fund is augmenting its own services through collaborations with nationally recognized leaders in these areas. This not only allows the PLAN Fund to operate more efficiently, but it ensures that the PLAN Fund’s borrowers have access to the highest quality support services possible for their business.
The PLAN Fund primarily works with the following organizations to provide support services to its borrowers:
- YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas: This local affiliate of the national organization provides PLAN Fund members with access to their Self-Sufficiency Calculator in addition to their broad array of financial empowerment programs.
- Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) – This nationally recognized leader in financial literacy provides PLAN Fund borrowers with free, one-on-one Financial Counseling Services in addition to access to its comprehensive financial education programs.
- Mercy Corps – This international relief organization provides the PLAN Fund’s members with access to itsMicroMentor program, an online service that connects small business owners with business mentors.
- University of Texas at Dallas – This nationally ranked university provides PLAN Fund members with access to business school students who can help them to put together a formal business plan; this not only can be a requirement for a business to secure advanced levels of funding, but the process gives entrepreneurs a much better understanding of their business.
Other Partners
The PLAN Fund also benefits from partnerships that support the overall organization:
- Crossroads Community Services (“CCS”): An urban outreach of the First United Methodist Church in Downtown Dallas, CCS is currently advising the PLAN Fund on the development of a new loan program that could more directly benefit non-business owners for whom a small loan could have a catalytic and transformative effect on their lives.
- Grameen Foundation USA: The internationally recognized authority on domestic microfinance, this organizationincubated the PLAN Fund in 1999 and is the primary reason for the organization’s success in its first decade. Although the PLAN Fund is now a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit, it remains close to this organization and continues to rely on it for strategic support.
- University of Dallas: This nationally recognized Catholic university helps the PLAN Fund to recruit interns from among its top students, providing the organization with a high calibre support structure for its staff.
