AFN’s Members Making Impact: Case Studies for Change & Innovation is a series that spotlights peer-driven investment strategies fueling systemic and policy change across AFN’s eight issue areas.
National data show that if entrepreneurs cannot access capital within the first two weeks of a natural disaster, up to 40 percent may close permanently, and among those that do reopen, one in four will shut down within a year. The window for intervention is narrow, and timing often determines whether a business survives or disappears.
This urgency is felt acutely in Texas, which experiences more federally declared disasters than any other state. With small businesses representing 99 percent of Texas firms and nearly half the state’s workforce, each disaster threatens not only individual livelihoods but the stability of entire communities.
Recognizing these realities, Wells Fargo deepened its investment in disaster resilience through its long-standing partnership with LiftFund, a community lender with extensive experience supporting small businesses through economic shocks.
About the Members Making Impact Series
AFN’s Members Making Impact: Case Studies for Change & Innovation is a series that spotlights peer-driven investment strategies fueling systemic and policy change across AFN’s eight issue areas. Through this series, members will:
- Discover innovative mechanisms to advance wealth-building initiatives aligned with AFN’s issue areas.
- Meet new potential partners in crafting new grants, policies, and partnerships that support their mission.
- Elevate awareness of the intersection between AFN’s issue areas and wealth-building opportunities.
