Membership

Membership Benefits

  • Financing for organizations that meet the ACC lending requirements;
  • Membership on the ACC Board of Directors; and
  • Shared best practices and feedback with other ACC members to assist in ACC’s support of community development lenders in the region.

Membership Criteria

  • ACC membership is open to new members that meet the following requirements:
  • Operates in the Appalachian Region service area, as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission.
  • Is a mission-based enterprise lender, providing business loans. Also, the organization must have a primary mission of promoting community development and must direct its lending toward improving the social and economic conditions of underserved people and residents of economically distressed communities.
  • Serves target markets comprised of economically distressed communities; target populations who are low-income persons; or markets that lack adequate access to financial products. The organization must also provide development services, either directly or through affiliates, in conjunction with its financial products.
  • Has a comprehensive impact measurement tracking system.
  • Can demonstrate program sophistication through participation or compliance with financial programs (e.g., a regulated bank or credit union; Community Development Financial Institution programs; Treasury Small Business Lending Fund participation; Small Business Administration 504, or 7a Loan Programs; and/ or USDA Business & Industry Guaranteed Loan program).
  • Can contribute a minimum of $5,000 as a one-time membership fee.

Become a Member

Organizations interested in becoming an ACC member should submit:

  • A one-page description of their lending and community development activity (existing or planned) in the Appalachian Region;
  • Most recent interim financial statement;
  • Loan portfolio reports of the same date as the most recent interim financial statement and including summary aging, and charge-offs, and non-accruing loans;
  • Audited financials for past three years;
  • An organizational chart.

Materials submitted for ACC Membership will be presented to the Board of Directors during the regularly scheduled quarterly meetings. The applicant organization will be notified in writing of the Board’s decision.