Investing in Education
A student and teacher collaborate at Valor Academy Elementary School.
Supporting high-quality public charter schools and childcares
Self-Help has been financing quality public charter schools and child care centers since the mid-1990s, because we believe that investing early in a child's life creates long-term value for communities.
childcare spaces
public charter school spaces
loaned to support quality childcare centers and public schools since 1982
Self-Help has been financing quality public charter schools and child care centers since the mid-1990s, because we believe that investing early in a child's life creates long-term value for communities.
childcare spaces
public charter school spaces
loaned to support quality childcare centers and public schools since 1982
In the mid-1990s, Self-Help was an early pioneer in providing financing for childcare providers, with a focus on women business owners who serve lower-wealth communities.
We understood then what remains true now: quality childcare is essential infrastructure. It supports working parents, gives children a healthy start, and anchors the economic stability of entire communities.
Our childcare lending offers borrowers the opportunity to own their own space, while providing for this critical community need. We work with providers who offer innovative approaches to care, offering creative opportunities for socializing and learning.
Self-Help's childcare lending is available in North Carolina and the greater Chicago area.
Self-Help has been lending to public charter schools since 1998, supporting social entrepreneurs working to provide strong educational choices in underserved communities. We've financed high-performing charter school networks that serve areas experiencing disinvestment, with a focus on schools that prioritize students poorly served by existing options.
What sets our approach apart is how we do it. Expanding a charter school network is often financially complex. And some of the most ambitious, most necessary projects are the ones that struggle most to secure conventional financing.
Self-Help uses creative underwriting, patient capital, and flexible terms to make those projects viable. We bring financing tools like New Markets Tax Credits and federal Charter School Credit Enhancement Grants to the table, preserving borrower cash and making expansion economically feasible.
Self-Help provides facilities lending for public charter schools in all fifty states. Explore our loan products or learn more about our impact.