Established in 2004, the Gloucester Community Loan Fund has been a cornerstone of the community, providing vital financial support to local businesses.

Our Story

Our passion for helping others succeed and our unwavering commitment to the community continue to drive us forward each day.

Our journey began with a group of dedicated individuals who recognized the need to boost economic growth and support entrepreneurship in our area. Jim Robinson, having seen similar loan funds before, saw that loan programs could be tailored to specific businesses, to work with the Main Street Preservation Trust to create a loan fund for smaller, more local businesses, that may need more money to get started than could be provided by a bank: these loans could be layered and stacked together with other sources, such as bank funds, to bring a business to life.

We’ve also partnered with historic properties to help businesses thrive and preserve our town's heritage. We also worked with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to start programs to bring training and funding for new businesses, allowing new owners to take education courses and get funding to get started when they finish the course.

The goal was to grow businesses in our community with small to no-interest loans that can help start or sustain them.
— Jim Robinson

Board of Directors

Joe Heyman - Board Chair

David Hudson - Board Vice-Chair 

Richard Wiatt  - Secretary

John Wright  - Treasurer

Bill Baxter

Dr. David Brown 

Steve Callis 

Nam Vu

Ashley Gilmartin Weast

director@gloucesterloanfund.org

Partnering with various Main Street Organizations to offer a comprehensive array of resources to meet all your needs. Find out more.