Our Structure
Founded in 1980, the Center is our founding nonprofit organization. It also serves as an umbrella organization that includes Self-Help Ventures Fund and the Center for Responsible Lending.
Its name reflects a recognition of the talent and potential within every community. Our mission directs us to “help communities help themselves” by broadening access to the resources all communities need to thrive.
We operate two credit unions: Self-Help Federal Credit Union and Self-Help Credit Union. Both are federally regulated and insured by the National Credit Union Association (NCUA).
They are separate entities that serve different areas of the country. But they share a common goal of providing affordable, responsible financial services that help everyday people thrive.
Join the credit union that serves your state.
Some investors choose to become members and depositors in both credit unions to take advantage of NCUA insurance of up to $250,000 in each. Contact us to learn more.
We created the loan fund in 1984 to expand our financing capabilities beyond more conventional lending standards. This helps us have deeper impact in the communities we serve.
Self-Help Ventures provides a platform beyond our credit unions to take on new risks such as larger business and nonprofit loans, specialized loan funds, secondary market loan purchasing partnerships, and expansive real estate development projects.
The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is a non-partisan, nonprofit research and policy advocacy organization that promotes financial fairness and economic opportunity for all, including families of color, rural residents, women, military personnel, low-income borrowers, low-wealth individuals, and early-career workers.
CRL was founded in 2002 in North Carolina as part of a collaborative effort to fight the growing problem of predatory lending.
Since then, CRL has played a major role in pushing for successful consumer protections, saving consumers billions of dollars annually.
As a nonprofit supporting organization for the Center for Community Self-Help, CRL draws on Self-Help's 40+ years of lending experience to inform its understanding of consumer financial needs.