Since 2000, ACE has been giving entrepreneurs a chance when others could not. The mission of Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, Inc. (ACE) is to provide community economic development to underserved people and communities. ACE is a non-profit organization and the largest small business-focused community development loan fund in Georgia. ACE provides loan capital from $15,000 to $1,000,000 and bilingual business development resources to help its borrowers create and grow sustainable businesses which generate jobs.

Enterprise ‒ Non-Profit

This enterprise is currently looking for capital. Investment mechanisms used and seeking:

  • Debt/Loans

Investor ‒ CDFI/DFI

Investment Vehicles Offered:

  • Debt

Enabler

Business advisory services: Our comprehensive program makes us unique among lenders. All ACE loans clients have access to in-house financial education and business development services, at no cost, to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to be successful. Individualized consulting and coaching cover a range of topics, from marketing and social media to accounting and risk management. Women’s Business Center (WBC): Assisting over 4,000 clients since it opened in 2015, the WBC is charged with empowering racially diverse and low- and moderate-income women entrepreneurs through financial education and training. Located in the city of Norcross (one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the Southeast), the WBC offers in-person and remote learning classes, workshops, seminars, and one-on-one consulting to both women and men, as well as current and potential borrowers. The WBC offers a full range of services in both English and Spanish for women, and men, at all stages of business planning – implementation, growth, customer acquisition, cash-flow management, credit improvement, fraud protection, risk management, and employment law. Other grant programs: ACE also provides support to hard-to-reach segments (primarily Hispanic and African American markets) through grant-funded programs.

ACE is the largest small business-focused community development financial institution (CDFI) in Georgia. In 2000, ACE started as a micro-lender with a pool of $50K, making small business loans to 4 counties in rural North Georgia. Nearly 19-years later, we’ve helped more than 950 businesses in 68 Georgia counties with $69M in fairly priced capital by giving people a chance when others wouldn’t.

In conjunction with our core mission, ACE’s vision is to decrease the racial wealth gap, particularly for African Americans and Latinx, through collaborative efforts. Today we are implementing year two of our 5-year strategic growth plan to double our social impact helping more nascent and existing business owners that need us most in rural and urban areas of Georgia. Organizationally, ACE’s strategic plan is designed to scale our self-sufficiency and core sustainability. The goal of this plan is scaling our lending program to $52M by 2022, which will effectively support almost 700 new clients and contribute to creating/retaining 10,000 jobs in the state of Georgia.