Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find answers to the most commonly asked questions about applying for Rising Tide Community Loan Fund loan products. If you have other questions, please call our office at 484-893-1039. Para asistencia en español, llame al 484-893-1032.

If you would prefer to download a PDF copy of our FAQs, click here.

The Rising Tide Community Loan Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). This means we exist to make an impact on economic development in the area of small business ownership in the communities we serve. The Rising Tide operates out of a home office in Bethlehem. We are federally certified to lend in Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe , Northampton, and Upper Bucks counties. We do not offer deposit accounts like checking or savings like banks, and lend only for community development purposes. We lend to people of low-to-moderate income that have been historically underserved by traditional financial institutions. We also lend to people starting businesses or who already have businesses in existence in low-income census areas. Banks usually do not lend to startup businesses; the majority of Rising Tide loans involve startups and businesses in existence less than two years.