Small Business Lending Committee

Committees are open meetings held throughout the year on a variety of topics related to small business lending and supporting BIPOC and women-owned small business. At our meetings, you can network with those who share similar interests or responsibilities and discuss topics related to your industry. Each meeting is facilitated by Partnership for Financial Equity co-chairs and staff as well as attendees who volunteer to lead the discussion. These sessions are designed to encourage an informal and collegial exchange of experiences and insights. Membership is encouraged to help sustain our efforts, but is not a requirement to attend meetings.

Co-Chairs

Ana Hammock, Chief Operating Officer, Ascendus

Elyson dos Santos, VP Business Development, Rockland Trust

Mission

The Small Business Lending Committee brings together financial institutions, small business assistance providers, city and state agencies and others to promote the economic revitalization of low- and moderate-income communities in Massachusetts by providing insight, ideas and information designed to encourage small business lending.

The Small Business Lending Committee hosts quarterly meetings throughout the year on a variety of topics from underwriting approaches to small business lending trends in the Commonwealth. Membership in Partnership for Financial Equity is encouraged, but not a requirement to attend meetings.

Click here to be included on the e-mail distribution list for our Small Business Committee.

Our 2025 Meeting Dates (Virtual)

Thursday, February 13 at 9:00am

Thursday, May 8 at 9:00am

Thursday, August 14 at 9:00am

Thursday, November 13 at 9:00am

Register here for our 2025 Committee meetings

 

Publications

February 13, 2025 – Members of the Partnership for Financial Equity’s Small Business Lending Committee and CRA Peer Group today released a new informational flyer designed to explain new small business disclosure requirements enabled by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

The document leads off with the question, “My lender is asking questions about my race and ethnicity. Why?” It goes into the reasons for the law and provides dates for implementation from certain lenders. The effort is endorsed by nine nonprofit organizations across the state that provide technical assistance to small businesses, including Ascendus, Bay Colony Development Corp., Coalition for an Equitable Economy, Common Capital, Dorchester Bay EDC, Interise, MACDC, SEED Inc., and WorcLab.

More information about the new small business lending disclosure requirements can be found here.

Our latest MA Small Business Lending Report-Nov2024 is available.