Pathfinder Pilot
Meet the Community Lending Network
In 2022, Common Approach began looking for networks of social purpose organizations (SPOs) to participate in its next pilot program, the Pathfinder Pilot. The Pathfinder Pilot is housed at Social Innovation Canada and is funded by the Government of Canada’s Investment Readiness Program, the Northpine Foundation, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Our work with this additional network is funded by the McConnell Foundation.
The goal of the Pathfinder Pilot is to see how the adoption of all four Common Approach Standards alters the process and outcomes of impact measurement for these SPOs, both individually and within their impact measurement network.
The Community Lending Network, convened by Alterna Savings, consists of community loan fund partners who share an aligned goal of providing access to capital for underserved communities.
Through Alterna’s programming, the network brings communities access to credit, capital, financial resources, and support to entrepreneurs and individuals in the form of financial education, ongoing coaching, business planning, networking opportunities, and more. Some of the network partners facilitate access to financial services; others provide skills development, economic support, and support programs. Collectively, this network promotes self-sufficiency and empowerment to ensure business owners and individuals interested in entrepreneurial activities are supported.
The Community Lending Network joins the Network for Optimizing Food Impact in the Pathfinder Pilot. We expect to be announcing the third participating network shortly!
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Members of the next Pathfinder Pilot network
The member organizations of the Community Lending Network share a common purpose of helping underserved communities to access credit and support. We want to help facilitate entrepreneurial activities in Ontario.
The Pathfinder Pilot provides an opportunity to strengthen how we use impact data amongst our networks. We believe this will lead to more effective partnerships and collaborations, and support our work towards the collective goals of improved financial access, training and development and other wrap-around supports for underserved entrepreneurs.
Susan Henry
Director of Community Impact & Financial Inclusion, Alterna Savings