Lending

Our loans support nonprofit projects and enterprises that benefit low-income residents or communities throughout the 46 northernmost counties of California. Applicants must demonstrate sound fiscal management and be unable to obtain sufficient financing from conventional sources.

We try to meet the needs of our borrowers and believe in a personal, flexible approach to lending and a hands-on partnership with every organization.


Loans Support Four Types of Projects
  • Affordable Housing for all types of housing from multi-family rental to home ownership. Our loans have affordable rates and flexible terms to better meet the special needs of affordable housing projects. We finance all phases of housing production.

  • Community Facility Loans to human service agencies and arts/cultural organizations to support facilities that provide infrastructure to meet basic needs. NCCLF loans enable the construction of new facilities or the rehabilitation of existing facilities that meet basic needs.

  • Economic Development Loans to ventures that produce jobs, income, wealth and economic stability, including worker-owned cooperative business. Our loans support a range of economic development initiatives, including: human development and job preparedness projects for disabled people unable to obtain jobs in the private sector; alternative ownership businesses such as worker-owned cooperative ventures; and small business incubators designed to support new small businesses while they establish themselves to create new industry and economic growth for an economically depressed region.

  • Operating Lines of Credit uniquely designed to help community-based nonprofits meet cash flow requirements.

We are able to make loans ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000, with loan terms spanning sixty days to five years. Interest rates generally range from 6% to 9%. We often adjust amortization schedules so we can offer lower monthly payments and other flexible features to assist our borrowers.

Application Process

1. Please contact us so we can talk to you about your project.

2. If your project meets our eligibility requirements, we’ll ask you to submit a loan application. To download an application (in MS Word) please click one of the links below. You may use the Loan Application Spreadsheet (in Excel) for your Affordable Housing, Community Facility or Economic Development application. Please use the Line of Credit Spreadsheet for your Operation Line of Credit application.

Affordable Housing
Community Facility
Economic Development
Loan Application Spreadsheet
Operating Lines of Credit
Lines of Credit Spreadsheet

3. Submit your application. After reviewing your application, our staff will contact you for additional information to complete the package. We work closely with you and will provide technical assistance where possible.

4. Our Loan Committee and Board of Directors will review your completed application if it meets our underwriting requirements.

More Information
For more information on our community lending, please contact our Director of Lending, Dutch Haarsma.



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NCLT
   
 
Northern California
Land Trust


 
 

In Fall 2007, the Northern California Land Trust (NCLT) will complete construction of an eco-friendly, permanently affordable work-live complex for low-income artists in West Oakland’s old Noodle Factory. The former warehouse will have 11 work-live units, a rehearsal center, a 90-seat theater and a café.

Using the “community land trust” (CLT) model, once NCLT develops an affordable housing/community project, the units are sold at below-market rate with NCLT retaining the project’s land rights to ensure the units are resold at similar affordable rates should the homeowners choose to sell.

Northern California Community Loan Fund played a critical role in NCLT’s Noodle Factory development, providing multiple layers of financing: $425,000 in aquisition and predevelopoment financing, and $1,000,000 in construction funds as part of a $3,650,530 participation construction-loan package.

Please watch the ABC New Story on NCLT’s Noodle Factory complex.