Community Lending Fellow

Fellowship Term: 7 months, November 2026 – May 2027

Stipend: $7,500

Time Commitment: Approximately 10–15 hours per week

Location: New York City-based (hybrid); must reside in NYC and be familiar with Central Brooklyn

Reports to: BEJP Fund Manager

Program Area: BEJP Community Loan Fund

About the Brooklyn Economic Justice Project

The Brooklyn Economic Justice Project (BEJP), an initiative of Brooklyn Level Up (BKLVLUP), is building community-centered economic infrastructure rooted in the leadership and lived experience of Central Brooklyn residents, small businesses, and grassroots organizations. Its emerging Community Loan Fund offers non-extractive, relationship-based capital to small businesses, cooperatives, and neighborhood-rooted projects often shut out of traditional lending, centering trust, community accountability, technical assistance, and democratic decision-making.

Position Summary

BEJP is seeking its first Community Lending Fellow to help launch the BEJP Community Loan Fund. In this lending associate-style role, the Fellow will work closely with the Fund Manager across the full lending lifecycle: outreach, intake, diligence, loan packaging, borrower support, and fund administration. This fellowship is ideal for someone interested in community development finance, small business lending, cooperative economics, reparative capital, and non-extractive lending.

What You'll Do

Borrower Outreach and Intake

• Build relationships with Central Brooklyn small businesses, entrepreneurs, cooperatives, and community partners, and help maintain the borrower pipeline.
• Represent the fund at community events, information sessions, and partner meetings.
• Explain loan products, eligibility, and application steps in clear, accessible language.
• Support intake calls and eligibility screenings, and review applications for completeness.
• Identify borrower technical assistance needs, such as bookkeeping, financial projections, business planning, or legal support.

Underwriting and Loan Review

• Review borrower materials, including business plans, financial statements, tax returns, and organizational documents.
• Support financial analysis of revenue, cash flow, debt, repayment capacity, and use of funds.
• Help identify repayment, operational, governance, and market risks.
• Support values-based underwriting that weighs both financial viability and community benefit.
• Prepare borrower summaries, loan packets, and materials for the Loan Review Committee, and take notes at review meetings.

Borrower Support and Fund Administration

• Check in with borrowers before and after closing, and coordinate with technical assistance providers.
• Help create borrower education materials, templates, and tools.
• Maintain pipeline trackers, borrower files, and loan data, and help prepare internal reports on fund progress.
• Help document loan fund policies, procedures, and lessons learned.

Learning and Reflection

• Take part in regular supervision and learning sessions with the Fund Manager on community development finance, cooperative economics, and reparative finance.
• Help document BEJP's early lending model: what works, what needs adjustment, and what community members are asking for.
• Complete a final reflection, memo, or presentation with key learnings and recommendations for the fund.

What You'll Bring

• Interest in community development finance, small business lending, or economic justice.
• Comfort with basic financial analysis, such as reading financial statements, budgets, and cash flow.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, and follow-through.
• Clear, warm communication and the ability to explain financial ideas in plain language.
• Respect for community voice and the ability to build trust with small business owners and partners.
• Residence in NYC and familiarity with Central Brooklyn's neighborhoods, small business landscape, and community organizations.
• Formal finance or lending experience is helpful but not required.
• We especially encourage candidates with lived, professional, or community-based experience in Central Brooklyn to apply.