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The Jewish Free Loan Fund of Greater Hartford provides interest-free loans to help you overcome life’s occasional financial hurdles, and seize new opportunities with dignity and confidentiality.

“After I took out the loan, I had the freedom to upscale my business more after paying off the credit card; and it got me to where I am today. I have about 4 - 5 investors interested in investing in my company. The Jewish Free Loan Fund has changed my life in a very real way. I will always remember what the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford did for me.”

-Anonymous Loan Recipient

Who Is Eligible?

To be eligible for a loan from the Jewish Free Loan Fund, applicants must:

  • Be a member of a Connecticut Jewish household or business (click here for eligible towns) in which one person identifies themselves as Jewish or be an employee of a Connecticut Jewish agency or synagogue for at least 6 months
  • Be at least 21 years of age
  • Be employed, in search of employment, and/or have other sources of income, such as government assistance or retirement income sufficient to service the loan
  • Have a bank account for automatic monthly loan repayments
  • Have a bank account for automatic monthly loan repayments
CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY

Hannah's Story

After her divorce, Hannah* was drowning. Complications from her second child’s birth, worsened by lingering COVID effects, left her wheelchair-bound just as her world seemed to be falling apart. Her ex-husband stayed in their children’s lives, but was unable to provide financial support. Meanwhile, Hannah’s full-time salary vanished into medical bills—first her own, then her 10-year-old daughter’s after a psychiatric hospitalization that shattered what little stability remained. With a toddler and a pre-teen to care for, family loans helped Hannah keep her house, but borrowing from relatives was far from a sustainable solution. She turned reluctantly to high-interest credit cards to keep her head above water, each swipe pulling her family deeper into a hole she couldn’t see out of.

Hannah knew she needed help that wouldn’t add to her growing debt. When she discovered the Jewish Free Loan Fund—a Federation program offering interest-free loans to community members facing financial hardship—she found exactly what she’d been searching for. A $10,000 loan allowed her to consolidate her high-interest credit card debt and work with a financial advisor to rebuild her financial foundation. Most importantly, it restored something even more valuable: confidence that she could provide for the two young children who will always be the center of her world.

*Name changed for privacy

For more information about the Jewish Free Loan Fund, questions about the application, or if you wish to donate to the Free Loan Fund, please email us at JewishFreeLoan@jewishhartford.org.