Access capital

We offer tailored financial solutions to purpose-driven organisations in Australia. This could be in the form of fee-based investment readiness support or loans. Since 2011 we’ve provided over 60 loan facilities to more than 40 organisations, ranging from NFPs and charities to for profit companies. Our diversified $20m loan fund – powered by our own balance sheet – has allowed us to unlock over $120m of impact capital for various social and environmental outcomes.

At Sefa, we develop highly personalised, suitable financial models to make sure they are manageable and sustainable for your organisation long term. We’ll help you understand and assess possible finance solutions for your organisation and find the right investors to back you.

enquire about accessing capital

I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO PREPARE FOR CAPITAL

Who we work with

You are an organisation that delivers measurable social or environmental impact in Australia. You have a clear positive intention to generate impact that’s core to and embedded within your everyday activities. And you want to talk capital because you’re growing your impact: whether it’s adding new offerings, expanding your client base or strengthening your team and processes, we’re the right partner for you.

We’re not fussy about the type of impact; we’re more interested in how you produce it. Our clients work with many different communities such as Indigenous groups, young people, and regional and remote populations. They service those communities in a variety of ways including community enterprises, environmental initiatives, crisis and affordable accommodation, disability and healthcare services, and training and education pathways.

You can read more about how we think about impact here.

How much capital you can access

We’ll work with you to determine the investment terms that best suit you and your goals. If it’s a loan, this includes making sure you only borrow what you can realistically repay. Our loans range from $200k to $5m.

If your funding requirement is more than what you can borrow or doesn’t align with Sefa’s lending parameters, we can bring in foundations, philanthropists, government or community crowdfunding to get you closer to your target. Our investor network is wide – operating under Australian Financial Services Licence 414570 allows us to accept and facilitate investment from wholesale and professional investors. We cultivate strong relationships with engaged impact investors and our network continues to grow as foundations and impact investors choose to support specific causes.

How we work with you

1. Initial conversations – let’s get to know each other! ↓

We want to hear about who you are, the impact you deliver, why you’re great at it and what you need funding for. Any financial information you have will help us understand your needs and capacities.

2. Deep dive – getting into the weeds ↓

In this phase we delve into the details of your strategy, people, your activities, your income and expenses, and your risk management. It could take 2-4 months depending on how progressed your internal conversations and processes are. We cover all bases so that we know you’ll be ready for anything. We will also discuss loan terms with you in depth so you know exactly what you’re getting into.

Where we’re coordinating capital from a range of other (non-Sefa) sources, we’ll help you put together a pitch deck and facilitate meetings so you can put your best foot forward with our extensive network of impact investors.

If we find that your organisation’s engine needs a bit of tuning before taking on investment, our Engagements team can help with capability building.

3. Approvals and documentation – making it happen ↓

For a Sefa loan, once our Investment Committee has signed off we’ll provide you with a formal confirmation of the loan terms, and arrange the legal documents. This could be as fast as a month, depending on how detailed the documents need to be.

If working with other investors, we’ll walk with you to navigate any internal approvals that they may require and coordinate the documentation process for the funding arrangement. How long this process takes will depend largely on the specific investors’ procedures.

4. You get the money ↓

The investment terms may require certain conditions to be met upfront. Once those conditions are met, you’ll get the money straight away so you can get on with your project.

5. We’re always here for you ↓

As much as we plan and prepare, we know that life has a way of surprising us. If you run into unexpected challenges, let us know immediately. We’re here to support you – whether that’s pausing repayments on a loan, making adjustments to the investment terms or introducing you to other funders or partners who can help.

Let's go

If you’re ready to start a conversation, click here to get in touch with us

If you’re unsure whether you’re ready, click here to read some of our client stories, and here to learn how to prepare for funding

JENNY BRISCOE-HOUGH, TENDER FUNERALS

“Sefa worked with us to ensure we have a sound business model and to develop a relationship with The Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation. Sefa really believed in and backed our vision despite all of the challenges that we faced getting the project off the ground.”

Jeremy McLeod, Nightingale Housing

“We sought out a lending partner that had similar values to our own, a lender that cared about community, that cared about sustainability and that cared about how their investment should support positive change. After meeting with Sefa for the first time, we knew we had finally found a funder that spoke our language.”