emergency loan fund

The Emergency Loan Fund (ELF) is a collaborative program of the members of Northern California Grantmakers, a regional association of grantmakers. It provides quick-turnaround, low-cost financial assistance to nonprofit organizations located in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties.

The ELF was started in 1973 in response to the unique cash flow needs of nonprofit organizations, especially nonprofits whose services are in jeopardy due to cash-flow problems created by delays in the contracting or payment schedules of public and private funding sources and the absence of a substantial cash reserve. The ELF makes short-term, low-interest loans and gives small grants (up to $5,000) for technical assistance that builds financial infrastructure. So far the ELF has provided 1,271 low-interest loans totaling $29,540,700 and 264 grants totaling $1,354,500, an huge investment in the health of the Bay Area nonprofit community.

The ELF is independently funded and governed by its members, which include representatives from foundations, corporations and nonprofit finance agencies.