Financing Freedom: The Role of Disability Finance in Supporting Self-Employment and Small Businesses for PWD

On the right, a bearded white man in a wheelchair wearing a lab coat is in a microbrewery environment, examining a sample in a graduated cylinder while making a note on a clipboard. The setting features large metallic tanks and a clean, organized workspace. On the left is the title of this article, "Financing Freedom: The Role of Disability Finance in Supporting Self-Employment and Small Businesses for PWD."

In recognition of National Small Business Week, May 4-10, 2025

For people with disabilities (PWD), entrepreneurship can be a powerful path to independence — but it’s not without barriers. Traditional financial systems often overlook disabled founders, limiting access to capital and business support. Fortunately, a growing number of organizations are working to change that. Groups like the Disability Opportunity Fund, Synergies Work, and the Autism Impact Fund are leading efforts to expand access to financing, mentorship, and investment for disabled entrepreneurs. Together, they highlight the emerging field of disability finance and the vital role mission-driven capital can play in building a more inclusive small business ecosystem.

CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) and mission-driven investors are uniquely positioned to unlock opportunity by tailoring capital and technical assistance to meet the needs of disabled entrepreneurs. By designing accessible lending products, offering inclusive technical assistance, and centering disability as a dimension of equity, these institutions can help create a more just economy — one where self-employment is truly a pathway to freedom.

Why Disability Finance Matters

People with disabilities are significantly more likely to be self-employed than their non-disabled peers. Yet access to capital remains a persistent challenge. Many disabled entrepreneurs face barriers to traditional financing due to inconsistent income histories, lack of collateral, or credit profiles shaped by systemic inequities. In this context, disability finance isn’t a niche solution, it’s a necessary intervention.

The Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF) exemplifies this approach. Through its Equity Portfolio, DOF makes early-stage investments in enterprises led by or serving people with disabilities. These investments range from inclusive technology platforms to innovative housing and employment solutions, each tailored to bridge capital gaps while driving systems change. DOF doesn’t just fund businesses — it funds freedom.

Building Inclusive Ecosystems

Beyond capital, disabled entrepreneurs often need ecosystems of support. Organizations like Synergies Work are stepping up to fill this gap, helping founders with disabilities navigate the startup world through mentorship, skill-building, and storytelling. Their work is rooted in a powerful truth: with the right support, people with disabilities can build scalable, sustainable businesses and change entire industries while doing it.

This inclusive entrepreneurship model also challenges prevailing narratives. Rather than framing disability as a limitation, Synergies Work and others affirm it as a source of innovation, creativity, and resilience.

Investing in the Future

There is growing recognition among impact investors of the importance of disability inclusion, which makes it a significant market opportunity. The Autism Impact Fund is leading the way here, channeling capital into startups at the intersection of autism and innovation. Their thesis is bold and necessary: by investing in autism-focused solutions — from employment platforms to assistive technologies — we can catalyze transformative impact while driving economic growth.

The Role of CDFIs

CDFIs have a critical role to play in this movement. They are trusted lenders in communities often overlooked by mainstream finance. By integrating disability-forward practices into their lending and technical assistance work — including physical accessibility, plain language communications, and staff training — CDFIs can ensure that their capital reaches all entrepreneurs, not just the most “conventional.”

As we celebrate National Small Business Week, let’s remember that small business is not one-size-fits-all. For many people with disabilities, entrepreneurship is not just a livelihood, it’s a liberation. By expanding disability finance, we move closer to an economy that values every dream and every doer.

Visit https://disability-finance.org to connect with peers, explore training, and start a conversation about how your CDFI can get involved. Or email us at info@disabilityfinance.org.

Disability Finance: Why Every CDFI Should Care

A blog header image featuring hands of diverse individuals forming a unified circle around a white version of the accessibility symbol (a wheelchair user) on a textured gray background. The title of the blog article is "Disability Finance: Why Every CDFI Should Care," and there is a logo for the National Disability Finance Coalition.

Across the country, more than 60 million adults — nearly 1 in 4 — live with a disability. This number is only expected to grow as the population ages and as long-term effects of COVID-19 increase rates of chronic illness.

And yet, this large and diverse population remains dramatically underserved by the financial system.

CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) have long been champions for people overlooked by mainstream finance. But people with disabilities (PWD) can still be left out, not because of bad intentions, but because of outdated assumptions, infrastructure gaps, and limited visibility into the needs of this community. Developers may build affordable, accessible housing, but more financing is needed. PWD have limited access to financing for assistive technologies to improve their quality of life. They want to open small businesses, have access to products that cater to their needs, and be afforded the same opportunities as any other community, but a lack of access to capital prevents them.

Financial Exclusion by the Numbers

Consider this:

  • According to the FDIC’s 2023 Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, households that include someone with a disability are more than three times as likely to be unbanked compared to those without.
  • The same report found that PWD are less likely to use online and mobile banking and more than 2.5 times likely to be denied credit.

Medical debt, interrupted employment histories, and restrictive public benefits rules create additional barriers to wealth-building for many PWD.

These financial inequities are the tip of the iceberg, and they are not marginal. They’re structural, and they mirror the same systemic gaps that CDFIs were created to address.

Disability Crosses Every Line

Disability is not rare, nor is it confined to any single demographic. It affects people of every age, race, gender, income level, and geography, making it one of the most broadly relevant considerations in community lending.

As the population ages, the prevalence of disability increases dramatically. According to the CDC, among adults aged 65 to 74, one in four lives with at least one disability; among those over 74, the number climbs to one in two. This trend will only accelerate as aging intersects with the long-term effects of chronic illness and post-COVID health complications.

But age is just one dimension. In rural regions like Appalachia, or on tribal lands, disability prevalence is notably higher than the national average. For CDFIs working in these areas, acknowledging disability isn’t a specialization, it’s essential to understanding the community as a whole.

Disability is, simply put, a normal part of the human experience. And the financial system must adapt to meet PWD where they are.

What is Disability Finance?

Disability Finance refers to a growing area of practice within community development finance that intentionally designs and delivers projects dedicated to PWD and/or financial products and services tailored to meet their needs.

It recognizes that traditional financial systems have fallen short in serving this population, whether due to inaccessible processes, restrictive underwriting, a lack of understanding about their lived experiences, or the need for more capacity to develop affordable, accessible housing and businesses dedicated to their needs.

Disability Finance starts from the assumption that people with disabilities are a core part of any community — and that financial tools should reflect the realities they face. It bridges financial access with practical solutions, helping individuals build independence, resilience, and long-term opportunity and helping developers and business owners access new financial streams.

This can include:

  • Consumer loans for assistive technology (AT), mobility equipment, or home modifications
  • Predevelopment, acquisition, construction, and permanent loans for accessible affordable housing development
  • Small business loans for entrepreneurs with disabilities
  • Technical assistance such as financial coaching and credit-building support
  • Partnerships with Disability Service Organizations (DSOs) to extend reach

Why it Matters for CDFIs

For mission-driven lenders, Disability Finance offers both a clear alignment with core values and a practical opportunity to expand reach, deepen impact, and strengthen long-term sustainability. Here’s why it matters.

  1. It aligns with your mission. If your CDFI is committed to community development, you already serve people facing financial barriers. Disability Finance is a natural extension of that work.
  2. It expands your reach. PWD are a significant and growing demographic. Reaching them doesn’t require an entirely new model — it requires listening, adapting, and partnering smartly.
  3. It’s achievable. CDFIs don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Resources, training, and peer learning opportunities are available through networks like ours, the National Disability Finance Coalition (NDFC).
  4. It strengthens your compliance and competitiveness. The CDFI Fund now recognizes people with disabilities as an Other Targeted Population (OTP), opening the door for better tracking, alignment, and eligibility in awards like the DF-FA (Disability Finance Financial Assistance) set-aside.
  5. It’s an opportunity to build capacity. CDFIs not only provide traditional loans, they also offer capacity building, grants, and project initiation loans that can help build an industry. These resources are needed in order to increase the number of affordable, accessible housing projects and businesses dedicated to serving people with disabilities.

Small Changes, Big Impact

CDFIs don’t have to overhaul their entire portfolios to begin serving people with disabilities. Many can start by:

  • Reviewing product eligibility and underwriting criteria
  • Training staff to recognize and respond to disability-related needs
  • Partnering with local DSOs to identify clients and co-design solutions
  • Exploring AT loans or inclusive housing investments
  • Increasing outreach to accessible housing developers and businesses dedicated to serving people with disabilities.

Let’s Start a Conversation

People with disabilities are already in your community — as neighbors, entrepreneurs, caregivers, renters, and aspiring homeowners. Many have been navigating financial systems not built with them in mind.

Let’s work together to change that.

Visit https://disability-finance.org to connect with peers, explore training, and start a conversation about how your CDFI can get involved. Or email us at info@disabilityfinance.org.

NDFC’s session at the 2023 OFN Conference

A group of seven presenters posing for a photo at the Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) Conference during a session on Disability Finance. They are gathered around a table with water bottles and papers visible in the foreground.

Our session on Disability Finance at the Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) Conference was a success in large part thanks to Rita German’s excellent moderating. A special thanks to the JPMorgan Chase Foundation for its support. Pictured above from left to right: Andrew Porter (NDFC), Erica Quin-Easter (Genesis Fund), Pam Porter (NDFC), Rita German (JPMorgan Chase), Charlie Hammerman (Disability Opportunity Fund), Emerson Sekins (Northwest Access Fund), Towner French (Cozen O’Connor).

Here is a description of what we covered in the session: People with Disabilities (PWD) comprise over 60 million people in the United States. They are three-times more likely to be underbanked and nearly twice as likely to be turned down for credit than those without a disability. CDFIs want to understand this underserved market better and determine how to serve best. In this session, we highlighted how disability finance aligns with current CDFIs financial services and identified some of the key differences. We covered affordable and supportive housing; home renovations; assistive technology; financial literacy; community facilities; and entrepreneurship. Chances are most CDFIs are already serving people with disabilities. In this session, participants learned how to do so more intentionally and effectively.