With you every step of the way to help you navigate the loan process.

RIIF and RIIF Capital invest across industries, through a variety of financing products, in amounts that correspond to the enterprise’s need, ability to repay, and ability to hire individuals overcoming significant barriers to employment.

Think of our process as not just applying for a loan, but as building your financial capacity and deepening your understanding of the financial picture of your enterprise along the way, too. Leveraging our affiliate Redefine Alliance’s capacity building tools and resources, we pair each loan with targeted technical assistance in the key areas of business operations, financial management, and employee supports. 

The application cycle can run 2-3 months from loan inquiry to close, depending on complexity of the loan, capital stack, and availability of information needed to underwrite. The process looks like this:

When you’re ready, please complete our loan inquiry form. If you meet the minimum eligibility requirements, a RIIF team member will reach out to you.

A 30-60 minute conversation to discuss your capital needs, business model and financial health, proposed repayment source, and timing considerations. Following the call, the underwriter will send a follow-up email outlining next steps and share a Due Diligence Checklist, which may include historical financials, projections or budgets, and management background information.

RIIF will review the materials submitted and conduct further conversations to better understand your work, capital needs, and how the loan will address those. Using this information, the underwriter will prepare a preview memo – a short-form analysis of the loan’s purpose, repayment thesis, and impact alignment – for RIIF’s credit committee. The underwriter will then share the committee’s decision on whether to proceed to full underwriting.

If approved to move forward, the underwriter will share a Term Sheet outlining the preliminary terms and conditions of a potential loan. This non-binding document includes details such as loan amount, term, interest rate, fees, intended use of funds, covenants, remaining diligence items, and conditions to closing. A legal deposit will be collected at this stage.

The underwriter will complete a full credit memo for review by RIIF’s credit committee. During this phase, additional information and documentation may be requested to develop a comprehensive understanding of the borrower’s financial position, operations, and repayment capacity. The underwriter will also reach out to schedule a site visit and vetting calls with customers or funders. Based on the underwriting analysis, management discussions, and diligence materials, RIIF’s credit committee will decide whether to approve the loan and move forward with closing.
Tips to Speed Up Due Diligence

Once approved, the loan will move into closing and RIIF’s external counsel will begin preparing the loan documents for signature and a checklist of other closing items.

After all closing conditions have been satisfied, loan funds will be wired either in a single disbursement or in multiple disbursements over time, as outlined in the Loan Agreement.