Our Mission

Your act of generosity impacts our longevity and how we contribute to our community.

Hebrew Free Loan's mission is to help people overcome financial hardships and pursue their life dreams. We do this by providing interest-free loans that provide much-needed support on the path to self-sufficiency. The majority of our loans serve individuals, families, and small business owners throughout Northern California's Jewish community. Through our Pollak Community Loan Program, we also provide student loans to lower-income young people of all faiths and cultures.

Hebrew Free Loan was founded in 1897 by a group of caring Jews in San Francisco who were guided by the Torah's mandate not to derive personal benefit from loans made to those in need. Our nine founding members each pledged to contribute 25 cents a month until they had enough capital to start a loan fund. Their first interest-free loan of $5 helped an immigrant vendor buy a pushcart. Well over a century later, those funds are still being recycled into new loans. With a repayment rate of 99.9%, we've proven the success of this model through generations! We continue to treat each applicant with respect and compassion, and we are entirely supported by generous donations from the community.

Contact us today to learn how you can help us fulfill our mission. We would also greatly appreciate if you could give us your feedback to help us enhance our service to you.