Member Highlight: BiGAUSTIN

Roland Kamara, Membership Associate, OFN

June 30, 2026 – 

Read time: 10 minutes

Earlier this month, Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) hosted the 13th Annual Small Business Finance Forum. OFN’s annual Small Business Finance Forum (SBFF) is the premier event for mission-driven small business lenders, partners, and advocates. This month, we’re excited to highlight one of the co-hosts of the Forum both last year and this year, BiGAUSTIN, and its Lending Coordinator, Terrell Hill.

Founded in 1992 as a City of Austin-funded initiative, BiGAUSTIN was created to help individuals, particularly low- to moderate-income minorities, start and grow their own businesses. Over the years, the organization has evolved into a leading force in entrepreneurship and workforce development across Central Texas. Through its commitment to empowering individuals and fostering economic growth, BiGAUSTIN has played a significant role in shaping Austin’s entrepreneurial landscape and expanding pathways to employment and economic opportunity.

In this highlight, you will learn how BiGAUSTIN supports entrepreneurs through access to capital, business education, and hands-on technical assistance. The highlight also explores Terrell Hill’s perspective on community development, the organization’s role in expanding economic opportunities across Austin, Texas, and the challenges and opportunities shaping the CDFI industry today.

1. What makes BiGAUSTIN unique, and how does that help it better serve its community?  

BiGAUSTIN is unique because we combine access to capital with education, technical assistance, and a deep commitment to meeting entrepreneurs where they are. As a nonprofit community lender, we understand that small business owners often need more than a loan to succeed. Many of the entrepreneurs we serve are working to build credit, strengthen their financial records, formalize their business operations, or gain confidence in making business decisions. By pairing lending with training and one-on-one support, BiGAUSTIN can walk alongside clients before, during, and after the loan process. This wraparound approach helps us better serve entrepreneurs who may not yet qualify for traditional financing but have the vision and determination to grow.

2. What’s your “why” for working in the community development space, and how did you end up at BiGAUSTIN?

My “why” is rooted in helping people gain access to opportunities that can change the direction of their lives, their families, and their communities. In lending, I have seen how the right financial support at the right time can help an entrepreneur move from uncertainty to stability, from an idea to a business, or from survival to growth. I believe small businesses are among the strongest engines of community development because they create jobs, build local wealth, and bring services directly into neighborhoods.

I came to BiGAUSTIN because the organization’s mission aligns with that purpose. BiGAUSTIN is not only focused on lending money; it is focused on preparing entrepreneurs, supporting them, and helping them build long-term success. That combination of capital, education, and community impact is what makes this work meaningful to me.

3. How would you describe your BigAUSTIN to someone new to community development?

I would describe BiGAUSTIN as a mission-driven nonprofit lender that helps entrepreneurs and small business owners access the tools they need to start, stabilize, and grow their businesses. We provide small business loans, business education, and technical assistance to individuals who may face barriers to traditional financing. Community development is about creating pathways where barriers have historically existed, and BiGAUSTIN does that by helping entrepreneurs build financial readiness, access responsible capital, and create economic opportunity for themselves and their communities.

4. How do you describe your BiGAUSTIN to members of the community you serve?

To the community we serve, I describe BiGAUSTIN as a partner in their business journey. We are here to help entrepreneurs understand what it takes to start or grow a business, prepare for financing, and make informed decisions. Whether someone is just beginning with an idea, working to strengthen their business foundation, or ready to apply for a loan, BiGAUSTIN provides support, education, and access to capital. Our goal is to help business owners feel prepared, supported, and empowered to take the next step.

5.  In the past few years, what project or partnership do you feel has had the biggest impact on the community you serve? What can you share about the impact and significance of this project or partnership for the client and local community?

One of the most impactful areas of our work has been the continued expansion of BiGAUSTIN’s small business education, technical assistance, and lending support to entrepreneurs who are often underserved by traditional financial institutions. Through our training programs, one-on-one advising, and microlending services, we have helped entrepreneurs strengthen their business foundations, improve their financial readiness, and access responsible capital.

The significance of this work is seen not only in dollars loaned but also in the confidence and preparedness clients gain throughout the process. Many of our clients come to us with strong business ideas or existing businesses, but they may need support with financial projections, business planning, credit readiness, legal structure, marketing, or understanding what lenders look for. By helping clients become more prepared, BiGAUSTIN supports long-term business sustainability, job creation and retention, and greater economic stability for families and communities.

6. What’s the biggest opportunity to create greater impact that BiGAUSTIN is considering? 

The biggest opportunity for BiGAUSTIN is to expand access to capital while continuing to provide education and technical assistance that makes that capital effective. There is a strong need for small-dollar, flexible business lending for entrepreneurs who may not qualify for traditional financing but are ready to grow with the right support.

As we look ahead, BiGAUSTIN has an opportunity to strengthen partnerships with banks, community organizations, housing partners, workforce partners, and local service providers to create stronger referral pathways for entrepreneurs. By connecting clients to lending, business training, consulting, and financial readiness support in a more coordinated way, we can help more entrepreneurs move from idea to launch, from instability to growth, and from limited access to real economic opportunity.

7. What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for BiGAUSTIN in 2026?

In 2026, one of BiGAUSTIN’s biggest opportunities is to grow our lending activity while maintaining the high level of compliance, client support, and responsible lending practices required of a mission-driven lender. Entrepreneurs continue to face rising costs, limited access to affordable capital, and challenges with financial documentation, credit readiness, and business planning. At the same time, the need for CDFI lending and technical assistance continues to grow.

Our challenge is also our opportunity: to build the systems, partnerships, and capital resources needed to serve more entrepreneurs without losing the personalized support that makes BiGAUSTIN effective. This includes strengthening our internal technology, improving client tracking and reporting, expanding referral relationships, and ensuring that clients receive the guidance they need before and after receiving a loan.

8. Is there a new product or service BiGAUSTIN has recently started offering or is considering?

BiGAUSTIN continues to evaluate ways to better serve entrepreneurs through both lending and education. One area we are focused on is strengthening our loan readiness support so that clients better understand the steps required to qualify for financing. This includes helping entrepreneurs prepare business plans, organize financial documents, understand credit, review cash flow, and make informed decisions about debt.

We are also continuing to build out training and cohort-based programs that support entrepreneurs at different stages of business development. These services are designed to help clients move through a clearer pathway: learning the basics of business ownership, preparing for funding, accessing capital when appropriate, and receiving continued technical assistance as they grow. Our goal is to ensure that new products or services are practical, responsive to community needs, and aligned with responsible lending and long-term client success.

9. What advice do you have for people who are interested in learning about community development and the CDFI industry?

My advice is to start by listening to the communities you want to serve. Community development is about understanding people’s needs, barriers, goals, and strengths, and then helping create pathways to opportunity. The CDFI industry plays an important role because it brings capital, education, and resources into communities that have often been overlooked by traditional financial systems.

For anyone interested in this work, I would encourage them to learn about small business lending, financial education, affordable capital, and the real challenges entrepreneurs face when trying to start or grow a business. Just as important, stay connected to the mission. This work requires patience, accountability, creativity, and a genuine commitment to helping people build stability and long-term opportunity.

10. What is a challenge facing the CDFI industry right now, and how can the industry rise to meet that challenge?

One of the biggest challenges facing the CDFI industry is the growing demand for affordable, responsible capital at a time when small businesses are dealing with rising costs, tighter cash flow, changing markets, and limited access to traditional financing. Many entrepreneurs need funding, but they also need guidance, technical assistance, and support to become financially prepared and sustainable.

The industry can rise to meet this challenge by continuing to advocate for stronger investment in CDFIs, expanding partnerships with banks, foundations, government agencies, and community organizations, and improving the systems that help CDFIs serve clients efficiently. At the same time, we must continue to protect the mission of responsible lending. Growth is important, but it must be balanced with compliance, client education, and long-term community impact.

11. In one word or phrase, describe BiGAUSTIN’s relationship with OFN. What made you choose that word/phrase?

I would describe BiGAUSTIN’s relationship with OFN as a mission-aligned partnership. OFN understands the role CDFIs play in expanding access to capital and creating opportunities in underserved communities. For BiGAUSTIN, that alignment matters because our work is centered on helping entrepreneurs access the tools, education, and financing they need to build stronger businesses and stronger communities. OFN provides a connection to a larger national movement while supporting the local work CDFIs are doing every day.

12. How do you describe OFN to people who do not know us?

I describe OFN as a national network and advocate for mission-driven community lenders. OFN supports CDFIs that are working to bring responsible capital and resources into communities that may not have equal access to traditional financial systems. Through advocacy, resources, training, and industry leadership, OFN helps strengthen the CDFI field and supports organizations like BiGAUSTIN as we work to create greater economic opportunity in the communities we serve.

We thank BiGAUSTIN for its valued membership and for the important work it does to serve entrepreneurs across Austin, Texas.

To keep up with BiGAUSTIN’s latest programs, resources, and community impact, readers can visit BiGAUSTIN’s website and follow their LinkedIn and Instagram. 

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Tags: CDFI Leadership, CDFIs, Community Development, Economic Opportunity, Member Highlight, Small Business