Community Loans in Ireland
Fair, Flexible Impact Lending
Clann Credo provides fair and flexible impact lending to community groups, voluntary organisations, sports clubs and social enterprises across Ireland.
Our bridging loans, term loans, Acorn Loan and Next Generation Loan help communities start projects sooner, close funding gaps and invest in assets that last.
We’re Clann Credo. Leaders in impact lending in Ireland. Driven to accelerate positive impact across every community. For 30 years, we have made impact lending accessible and easy for every community, backing more than 2,000 community and voluntary organisations with over €218 million in loan finance.
Clann Credo at a glance
- Over €218 million lent to communities since 1996
- More than 2,000 community and voluntary organisations supported
- Over €61 million loan book at the end of 2025, up 14.85% on the year
- Over €45 million in loan offers to communities in 2025
- 190 new customers in 2025, up from 113 in 2024
- 65% of our term lending goes to communities scoring below average on the Pobal HP Deprivation Index
- Active loans in all 26 counties, from Donegal to Cork
What is impact lending?
Impact lending, also known as social finance, is lending designed for community-led projects and services. Unlike traditional lending, it gives equal weight to the social impact of a project and the organisation’s capacity to repay. When a community group comes to us with a plan to build a sports facility, renovate a community centre or launch a social enterprise, we don’t just look at the numbers.
We look at the people, the ambition and the positive change the project will deliver. Leadership, volunteer commitment, community backing and a proven ability to deliver all count. This is core to how we understand a project, not an afterthought. Impact lending does not mean lower standards. It means sound financial judgement combined with a real understanding of how community projects work.
Find the right loan for your project
Bridging Loan
Start now, don't wait for the grant
Most grants are paid after the work is done. A Clann Credo bridging loan gives you the working capital to pay contractors and suppliers now, then you repay when your grant arrives. Up to €800,000 over up to 12 months at 7.45% fixed.
Term Loan
Long-term finance for bigger ambitions
When a grant doesn't cover the full cost, or there's no grant at all, a term loan provides the finance to complete your project. Up to €800,000 over up to 15 years at 6.45% variable, with repayments built around how your organisation earns its income.
Acorn Loan
Helping new community ideas take root
Designed for new and emerging community organisations and social enterprises. Borrow €5,000 to €15,000 at a reduced 5% interest rate, with no arrangement fee, no guarantees and no early repayment penalties.
Next Generation Loan
Helping communities create a legacy
For established organisations ready to buy land, buildings or infrastructure. Borrow up to €800,000 at 5.70% variable over up to 15 years, secured on the property you're buying, with no personal guarantees.
Loan rates and terms at a glance
*Bridging Loan arrangement fee up to 1%. **Acorn Loan: no arrangement fee and no guarantees required. ***Next Generation Loan: maximum loan-to-value of 80%; excludes investment property.
Information correct at time of publication, July 2026.
Who we lend to
We lend to community and voluntary organisations and social enterprises whose projects are led by a collective community process and deliver a social benefit. In 2025, our lending supported projects across over seven areas of activity:
- Sports and recreation: clubs, pitches, courts and activity centres (€26.8 million, 44% of our lending)
- Community facilities: centres, halls and shared spaces (€15.33 million, 25%)
- Social and sheltered housing: safe, affordable homes (€4.41 million, 7%)
- Healthcare: community-led health and wellbeing services (€3.99 million, 7%)
- Enterprise centres: hubs for local employment, training and enterprise (€3.5 million, 6%)
- Family resource centres and local development companies (€2.99 million, 5%)
- Other community initiatives, including childcare, arts, culture, heritage, environment and faith-based groups (€4.09 million, 7%)
A smarter way to fund community projects: the Dynamic Funding Model
The strongest community projects are never funded by one source alone. Our Dynamic Funding Model helps communities bring together four funding pillars, each playing a different role at a different stage of a project’s life:
- Grant Aid: public funding that gets projects off the ground. Grants rarely cover the full cost and are usually paid after the work is done.
- Impact Lending: fair and flexible loans that bridge the gap between community ambition and available funding. This is where Clann Credo comes in.
- Philanthropy: support from trusts, foundations, local businesses and donors. It adds capacity and shows others believe in your project.
- Earned Income: revenue your project generates itself, from rents and fees to café sales and memberships. It is the engine of long-term sustainability.
Impact lending is what connects the pillars. It lets you act at the right time, rather than waiting for every piece of funding to fall into place. Take Café Donate in Mountrath, Co. Laois. A LEADER grant funded the renovation, an Acorn Loan bridged the grant and funded working capital, donations supported its community purpose, and everyday café sales keep it sustainable. In its first year, it welcomed over 30,000 visitors and employs more than ten staff. We don’t just provide finance. We help you plan a funding mix that makes your project viable for the long term.
Why communities choose Clann Credo
- We understand community development. The ups and downs, the stops and starts. We know voluntary-led projects don’t follow a corporate timeline, and we build flexibility into everything we do.
- We make it easy. Our process is straightforward, our language is plain and we keep paperwork to a minimum.
- We go where the need is greatest. We intentionally direct lending to the communities that need it most.
- We think beyond the loan. Your relationship manager helps you plan the right funding mix, not just the right loan.
- We stay with you. From first conversation to final repayment, you have a dedicated relationship manager who knows your region and your sector.
“They bridged us, then stayed with us when the costs moved, and treated us as partners building something for Longford rather than a risk to be managed. CO:WORX exists because they backed the people, not just the project.”
Hugh Quinn, Chairman, Edgeworthstown Enterprise Hub CLG
How to apply for a Clann Credo loan
- Get in touch. Call, email or visit our website and tell us about your community and your project. No obligation, no paperwork, just a conversation.
- Talk to your relationship manager. We connect you with a dedicated relationship manager who understands your region and your sector, and who will help you plan the right funding mix.
- Submit your application. When you’re ready, we help you prepare a clear, straightforward application.
- Get a decision. Our credit team reviews every application with community impact at the centre, looking at the social benefit, the viability of the project and your capacity to repay. We aim to give you a clear answer quickly.
- Draw down and deliver. Once approved, you draw down your loan and get to work. We stay with you throughout the journey.
FAQs
Clann Credo offers bridging loans, term loans, the Acorn Loan for new and emerging organisations, the Next Generation Loan for buying land and buildings, and bridging and term loans tailored to sports clubs.
Community and voluntary organisations, sports clubs, charities, housing bodies, family resource centres and social enterprises across Ireland. Your project should be community-led and deliver a clear social benefit.
Yes. A Clann Credo bridging loan lets you start your project and pay contractors before your grant arrives. You repay the loan when the grant is paid.
No. Clann Credo lends to organisations, not individuals, and our loans do not require personal guarantees from committee members or volunteers.
We’re not a bank. We are Ireland’s leading impact lender, lending only to community organisations and social enterprises. We assess social impact alongside capacity to repay, and our relationship managers understand how grant-funded, volunteer-led projects work.
Everywhere. Clann Credo has active loans in all 26 counties, with a regional team covering Dublin and the South East, Leinster, Munster, and Connacht and Ulster.
Yes. Clann Credo - Community Loan Finance is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity (CHY 13308; Charities Regulator No. 20041076).
Trusted by communities across Ireland
Let’s talk!
If your community has an ambition, we want to hear about it. Whether you’re at the very start of an idea or ready to break ground, get in touch. Our regional team is on the ground across Ireland and understands the ups and downs of voluntary-led projects better than most. There’s no such thing as too early to talk.
