Dear Community,
Three years ago, I stepped into leadership at Growth Partners Arizona with one driving question:
What would it take for every entrepreneur in our state, no matter their zip code, background, or balance sheet, to access the capital, coaching, and community they need to thrive?
That question wasn’t a rhetorical one. It was a call. And answering it required more than a new program or a rebrand. It required a reimagination of how community finance could actually serve people.
We didn’t ease into it. We disrupted with intention. We chose to design around trust. We rooted ourselves in proximity. We built with those who’ve been excluded, not around them. And we didn’t wait for perfect conditions, we moved forward with the urgency our communities deserve.
Not everyone came with us. Some funders stepped back. Some partners urged caution. But many of you leaned in. Together, we began building something deeper than access. We built a movement grounded in dignity, equity, and accountability.
2023: Rebuilding with Integrity
Our first year wasn’t flashy; it was foundational. We took a hard look at ourselves, named the gaps, and rebuilt. We overhauled our operations, strengthened governance, and positioned ourselves to grow without compromising our values. Just as important, we listened. We traveled to rural towns, sat with tribal leaders, and heard from entrepreneurs navigating exclusion every day. Their insights didn’t just inform our strategy; they also shaped it.
My appointments to the Arizona Finance Authority, AZIDA, and GADA gave us a seat at the table where critical capital decisions are made, and I made sure your voices were heard. Whether in the state’s capital, at rural roundtables across Arizona, or during meetings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., I carried your stories, challenges, and aspirations into every room. Ensuring underserved communities across Arizona were not only represented but prioritized.
2024: From Vision to Momentum
Year two was about turning intention into impact. We launched trust-based lending through the Avondale Spark loan and expanded the BIPOC Loan Fund across Maricopa County in partnership with CIC Tucson. We leaned into partnerships that believed in character over collateral. Through the Arizona Microbusiness Loan Program, we directed resources to historically overlooked counties, ensuring that communities labeled as “financial deserts” had access to a trusted, dependable capital partner. When the need for funding became urgent, we were there, offering a safe, affordable alternative to predatory lending and paving the way for stronger partnerships with traditional financial institutions.
This wasn’t just capital deployment. It was capacity building. We began proving that finance done differently can reach deeper, stretch further, and still deliver impactful returns.
2025: From Lending to Leadership
This year, we stepped fully into our role as a statewide orchestrator. We co-founded the Arizona CDFI Network to align strategy and advocacy across mission-driven lenders. We surpassed $1M in character-based loans through the Tucson Kiva Hub. We exceeded our direct lending goals for the second consecutive year, our loan portfolio has grown by over 170%, and our total assets have grown by over 85% since January 2023. We also deepened collaborations with partners like ASU J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, Local First Arizona, Moonshot, Groundswell Capital, and The Archwood at Eastlake, because this work isn’t about silos. It’s about systems.
As we enter the final quarter of 2025, we do so by launching Arizona’s first Capital Landscape Study to identify the structural gaps we’ve all felt, and we will work with our community to create a shared playbook to help us address these issues together.
What I’ve Learned
While we have experienced success, I have personally fallen short at times. I’ve stretched my team thin, pushed them beyond their capacity, and caused frustration within the community. But through it all, I’ve stayed honest, stayed rooted, and stayed committed. I’ve learned that transformation isn’t just for entrepreneurs. It’s for leaders like myself and institutions like GPAZ, too. We have to model the change we expect in others. This growth did not come without sleepless nights, tough decisions, and emotional conversations.
I’ve learned that presence matters. That trust can outperform traditional underwriting. That lived experience is a strategy—not an anecdote. And when we center community, we don’t lose control, we gain alignment. I’ve learned to pay attention to the unexpected moments, a business owner stopping me at the local grocery store to share how our work has impacted them, an unsolicited email from a business owner saying their numbers are finally starting to make “cents,” or a call from a state leader expressing gratitude for what we’re building at GPAZ. These moments motivate me to keep moving forward and to trust the process.
What’s Next?
The next chapter won’t be about doing more of the same. It’s about building the infrastructure our communities deserve. We’re embedding real-time borrower feedback into our product development. We’re organizing grassroots power to influence state capital policy. We’re training the next generation of diverse, justice-oriented finance leaders.
We will also be expanding our work with nonprofit organizations, those vital community anchors, ensuring they have the capital not just to survive, but to lead. Investing in education and training programs to help grow capacity within local nonprofit leadership. We’re expanding digital tools and resources for small business owners, leveraging AI to transform their experience. By partnering with local financial institutions, we’ll broaden access to financial education, meeting entrepreneurs where they are and doing what’s needed to level the playing field. We’re building a tech-forward, data-driven Community Development Financial Institution, committed to delivering intentional innovation that strengthens Arizona’s small business ecosystem.
This isn’t innovation for the sake of innovation. It’s a transformation with purpose. It’s growth with intention. It’s impact with meaning.
We are not here to scale scarcity. We are here to scale trust.
If the last few years have taught me anything, it’s that collaboration is key. Sure, our work together has been impressive, but we are just getting started.
To the community, our partners, stakeholders, board members, and team—thank you for walking with me, challenging me, and believing with me.
Onward.
With gratitude and determination,
Andre Whittington
Executive Director
Growth Partners Arizona