LiftFund US

08/18/2026

Life happens, and your finances don't always get a heads-up.

A change in income, an unexpected expense, or another life event can quickly impact your cash flow, savings, and credit. So, what can you do when circumstances change?

Join Master Your Credit: Life Happens, Now What? to learn practical “Maintain & Sustain” strategies that can help you protect your financial footing, make informed decisions, and plan your next move.

Register today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/master-your-credit-life-happens-now-what-registration-1967794290695?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/14/2026

“I am a grateful person. I believe in giving back to help other people.”

For Veronica Rios, owner of City Auto Insurance, giving back is part of how she does business.

Veronica first came to LiftFund when she needed financing to move into a larger office with adequate parking and purchase equipment. A second loan helped her add employees and continue growing. Today, she leads a team of seven and has grown from 834 active insurance policies in 2021 to 3,900, largely through word of mouth and a commitment to putting her clients first.

Now, Veronica is helping create opportunities for the entrepreneurs coming behind her through a monthly donation to LiftFund.

And she isn't alone.

Other current and former LiftFund clients have also chosen to give back. Some are still navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship themselves, but they give because they understand firsthand what access to the right support at the right moment can mean for a small business.

It's a powerful cycle: an entrepreneur gets an opportunity, builds something meaningful, and then helps open the door a little wider for someone else.

Veronica calls it gratitude. We call it paying it forward. 💙

Read the full story from Alex Counts, social entrepreneur and consultant to mission-driven organizations, and discover why LiftFund clients like Veronica are choosing to pay it forward: https://www.liftfund.com/blog/2026-08/alex-counts-clients-paying-forward

08/13/2026

SPOTS ARE LIMITED! Sign up for our free info session and learn how to get interest-free funding for your small business. We’ll guide you through the application process for our Austin-Area 0% Interest Rate Loan Program.

August 18, 2026 ⏐1 PM ⏐ Online

Learn about LiftFund’s new Austin-Area loan program offering eligible small businesses up to $100,000 at 0% interest.

08/07/2026

LiftFund's experience responding to repeated disasters is helping inform a broader national conversation about how small businesses can be better supported after a crisis.

New research from The Aspen Institute's Business Ownership Initiative, From Crisis to Continuity: Optimizing CDFI Capital and Partnerships for Natural Disaster Response, draws on lessons from LiftFund and other members of the Microfinance Impact Collaborative to recommend faster, more coordinated approaches to small business recovery.

Developed by Joyce A. Klein, Senior Director of the Business Ownership Initiative, the paper reflects decades of disaster recovery experience and insights from CDFIs working directly in affected communities. Its recommendations mirror work LiftFund has been advancing across Texas, including providing rapid-response grants and loans, strengthening partnerships before disaster strikes, and building systems that can move capital quickly when communities need it most.

One of the paper's central findings is that traditional disaster assistance often cannot meet the immediate liquidity needs of small businesses. Flexible financial tools, trusted local partnerships, and coordinated response models can help businesses bridge the critical period between disaster and long-term recovery.

For LiftFund, the research reinforces a lesson we've learned repeatedly in the field: the best time to build a recovery system is before the next disaster. Establishing relationships, flexible capital, and clear deployment mechanisms in advance can help ensure assistance reaches small business owners when it can make the greatest difference.

Read the full brief: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/publications/from-crisis-to-continuity-optimizing-cdfi-capital-and-partnerships-for-natural-disaster-response/

When natural disasters strike, small businesses face an immediate liquidity crisis. This brief, authored by Business Ownership Initiative Senior Director Joyce Klein, draws directly on decades of disaster relief experience and insights from the Microfinance Impact Collaborative.

07/31/2026

For small businesses, the weeks after a disaster can determine what comes next. While LiftFund is helping many owners rebuild after the Texas Hill Country floods, the need for support continues to outpace available funding.

Be part of the recovery and donate today to our Small Business Disaster Recovery Fund today.

Donate today: liftfund.com/donate

07/30/2026

When little Kamila heard that Kerrville’s small businesses needed help recovering from the floods, she set up a lemonade stand to raise money for them. Her generosity captures the spirit of the Hill Country: neighbors helping neighbors and a community determined to rebuild together.

Today, we joined the The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country to announce a transformative $5 million grant that will allow LiftFund to provide grants and critical support to small businesses across Kerr County and Comfort, TX.

The event was held at Gibson’s Discount Center, a LiftFund grant recipient, who is picking up the pieces after the most recent flooding.

The people of Kerrville have shown extraordinary strength, compassion, and resilience. From children selling lemonade to business owners reopening their doors, this community continues to show what it means to stand together.

Thank you to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country for this significant investment in community small businesses—and to Kamila for reminding us that everyone can play a part in helping a community heal.

07/30/2026

Thank you to Texas Tribune and reporter Emily Foxhall for highlighting the urgent needs facing Kerr County—and for including LiftFund’s perspective.

For many small businesses, this is the second devastating flood in two years. They are rebuilding again, but this time with fewer resources and less support. They need us now.

Read the article: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/29/texas-floods-kerr-county-damage-donations-volunteers/

Help Hill Country small businesses recover and rebuild: https://www.liftfund.com/recovery-fund

The Federal Emergency Management Agency hasn’t started helping local governments or individuals, while philanthropic response lags compared to last year’s flood.

07/24/2026

Last year, Dale Guthrie and his team worked hard to rebuild after devastating flooding. This year, they're doing it all over again.

"As of right now, we're out $50,000. Every day, that number continues to grow. Our employees are missing out on income, and I think that's what bothers me the most." — Dale Guthrie, Fitness First Sports

Dale's story is one of hundreds. In just three days, LiftFund has received more than 230 applications for flood relief—more than double the number received during the first week after last year's floods. The damage is more widespread this year, with flooding affecting businesses that were not flooded last year.

As Amy Hereford shared, "These are entrepreneurs who did everything right after last year's floods. They rebuilt, reinvested in their businesses and continued serving their communities, believing the hardest part was behind them. Instead, many are now facing another devastating disaster before they've had the chance to recover fully."

Watch How First Fitness Sports, is working to recover after 2026 Hill Country Flooding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ZU6vNibIo

To learn more about Small Business Disaster Recovery or donate, visit: https://www.liftfund.com/recovery-fund

"As of right now, we're out $50,000. Every day, that number continu...

07/23/2026

"Most small businesses don't have two weeks' worth of cash reserves on hand. So, if you don't get cash in their hands very quickly, there's a very strong probability that they may not make it through the disaster." — Adrian Gonzalez, Chief CDC Officer of LiftFund

Thank you to Texas Public Radio for highlighting the challenges Texas Hill Country small businesses are facing after another devastating round of flooding and the importance of getting recovery funding into the hands of business owners quickly.

The story explores why fast recovery support matters, the lasting economic impact disasters have on local communities, and how the 2026 Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Program is helping eligible small businesses and nonprofits begin rebuilding.

📖 Read the full story:

San Antonio-based LiftFund is offering grants of up to $10,000 to Hill Country small businesses and nonprofits hit by July’s floods, including many still recovering from last year’s disaster.

07/22/2026

Thank you to the Austin American-Statesman for publishing this important piece by LiftFund President and CEO Amy Hereford.👏🏼

Texas neighbors respond quickly when disaster strikes, but small businesses need faster, more coordinated support for the long recovery ahead. That means flexible capital, trusted local partners and permanent disaster recovery funding ready before the next emergency.

Because small-business recovery is community recovery.

Read Amy’s perspective: https://www.liftfund.com/blog/2026-07/austin-statesman-op-ed