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Charter Schools

The Issue

As of 2006, over one million students are enrolled in more than 3,500 charter schools in 40 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Charter schools are public schools that receive federal, state, and local funding, but are freed from some of the rules that traditional public schools must follow. While still accountable to No Child Left Behind and other academic and fiscal standards, charter schools offer flexible operations like smaller class sizes and innovative curriculum.

One of the biggest challenges charter schools face is gaining access to funding to build, purchase, or renovate facilities to house their schools.

Who We Serve

Self-Help primarily serves charter schools located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas. Self-Help will consider a loan to charter schools with financing needs over $2 million, which are located in low-income areas in other states, if the charter school can show that there is no other source of financing available.

Priority is given to schools serving low-income, minority and at-risk students.

What We Offer

Self-Help has been providing financing to charter school operators throughout the Southeast since 1997. We are committed advocates of the charter school movement and have a proven track record with over $65 million in loans made.

We offer a range of flexible loan products designed to meet the individual needs of our borrowers. We have the financial capacity to handle multi-million dollar loan requests, as well as the ability to tap into a variety of credit enhancement programs designed to ease financing challenges. Our experienced charter school loan officers understand the business side of running a school and will work with you through the application process and beyond.

Self-Help provides financing for a wide range of purposes including:

Start-up operational expenses
Equipment purchases
Modular facility leasing
Renovation
Purchase of an existing facility and/or land
Construction of a new facility
Permanent take out of construction loans
Letter of Credit in certain circumstances (Ex. Facilitating a QZAB)

How to Get Started

Contact one of our experienced Charter School Loan Officers.

Click here for a Charter School Loan Application, Cash Flow Projection Worksheet, and Charter Lending Overview.

Review these resources to help you run your charter school.