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A grant award is supposed to be the finish line. For many growing nonprofits, it’s actually where a new problem starts. Federal grants are often paid on a reimbursement basis, which means an organization has to spend its own money first and wait to be paid back. Carter’s Crew, a youth and family organization in Central Arkansas, ran into exactly that challenge, and CCCA member Forge Community Loan Fund helped them get past it.

Carter’s Crew was founded in 2018 by someone who understood the work from both sides. The founder brought professional experience along with lived experience of being labeled and counted out, and built the organization on a simple belief: the right support can change a young person’s future.

What started as a grassroots nonprofit has grown into a broad network of services. Carter’s Crew now offers diversion and intervention programs, after-school and summer programming, mentoring, case management, prevention education, and family support. Over the years, the team has built working relationships with juvenile courts, schools, law enforcement, and community partners to reach young people who need more than a referral.

A major milestone came when Carter’s Crew was awarded its first reimbursable federal grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The award came with a catch. The organization had to cover program costs up front and wait for reimbursement, and having the award on paper didn’t mean having the cash to start. As Carter’s Crew put it, you can have the experience, the relationships, and the ability to deliver a program and still be stuck because you can’t afford to advance the money.

That’s where Forge came in. Bridge financing from Forge gave Carter’s Crew the upfront capital it needed to accept the grant and run the program while waiting on reimbursement. In practical terms, it turned a federal award into real services for young people and families.

Carter’s Crew is now developing a 27,000-square-foot Youth Success Center that will bring prevention, education, and family support together under one roof. The organization credits its growth to persistence, strong partnerships, and lenders willing to invest in its ability to serve.

Stories like this one show why mission-based lending matters. Carter’s Crew had the track record and the award, but the timing of the money stood in the way. Forge made sure a federal investment in Arkansas actually reached the families it was meant to serve. Learn more about Forge at https://www.forgefund.org.