In a year that tested small business owners, the CDFI paired capital with coaching to help entrepreneurs move forward.
NEW YORK, NY, August 25, 2026. Ascendus, a national nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), today released its 2025 Annual Report, a look at a year defined by standing close to the small business owners it serves. As economic conditions shifted, Ascendus paired capital with coaching at every step, before and after each loan, to help entrepreneurs build stability and move toward their goals.
“We made a deliberate choice: to prioritize stability over volume, depth over speed, and the long-term health of our clients over the metrics of any single quarter. That is what standing with clients looks like,”
said Paul Quintero, Chief Executive Officer of Ascendus.
In 2025, Ascendus deployed $15M+ in capital across 706 loans, supported 5,900+ small business owners through lending and coaching, and delivered 8,500+ hours of pre-loan coaching and 3,050+ hours of post-loan technical assistance. The work reached entrepreneurs nationwide, with special focus on its primary markets: New York, Florida, New England, and Rising Markets.
“By year-end, the choice paid off. We closed FY2025 stronger than we opened it: $1.58M in net asset growth, a net asset ratio of 29.9% (up from 23% the year before), and a portfolio that steadied as charge-offs trended down. Durable impact is built by standing together, especially when it matters most,”
added Quintero.
The report reflects a year of steady, relationship-driven deployment that prioritized fit, timing, and durable impact over volume. For Ascendus, that approach is the foundation of a longer commitment: pairing capital with coaching, technical assistance, and trusted relationships so that small business owners and their communities can keep moving toward financial ascension.
