Open Road Impact Fund Bridge Loans
Open Road Impact (formerly Open Road Alliance)
Fast, flexible short-term debt for impact-first organizations facing a temporary cash-flow gap ahead of a committed but delayed inflow — a delayed government contract, a signed but unpaid grant, or a slipped philanthropic tranche. For a research or evaluation shop, this is the instrument that keeps a funded study staffed while the money is in transit rather than forcing a stop-work. Loans are underwritten on the certainty of the future receipt, not on collateral or endowment.
- Indicative award
- $250k–$1.5M (total award)Funder's own page states bridge loans range from $250K to $1.5M with tenors up to 12 months; average loan approximately $700K over 7.5 months. Interest rate is not published on the page.
- Timing
- Rolling / openNo specific published date recorded. This funder publishes a cycle rather than a date, and this database does not invent one.Rolling — inquiries accepted on an ongoing basis with no deadline. Funder states the full process from application to decision typically takes four to six weeks.
- Who can apply
- Community organisation, Practitioner
- Eligibility
- Open to impact-first organizations globally working on climate change or reducing inequality; the funder's page frames eligibility around four tests (impact-first with tracked outcomes, a short-term rather than ongoing operating need, a gap the loan fully closes, and demonstrated capacity to repay in full) rather than around legal form. The page does not state a 501(c)(3) requirement and its examples include for-profit social enterprises, so a nonprofit research organization or a university-partnered community agency would need to confirm entity eligibility directly. This is repayable debt, no
- SSWR clusters
- Topics
- bridge financing · cash-flow gap · impact investing · delayed government contract · organizational resilience
- Apply at
- https://openroadimpact.org/loans/
- This entry
- Curated by the working group. Written 2026-08-07. Funder link last confirmed to resolve on 2026-09-25.
Amounts and dates on this page are indicative and are maintained by people rather than scraped. Funders change ceilings, windows and eligibility without notice; confirm all details at the source above before applying.
Also on the Organizations and Management shelf
- Health services research grantsAgency for Healthcare Research and QualityAmount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Finding your regional and community foundations (Candid)CandidNot a cash award · Rolling / open
- Federal prize competitions and challengesU.S. federal agencies (Challenge.gov)$5k–$500k · Rolling / open
- Feedback and listening grantsFund for Shared Insight$10k–$100k · Periodic calls
- Grants.gov — the federal opportunity indexU.S. federal governmentNot a cash award · Rolling / open
- Behavioral health workforce education and trainingHealth Resources and Services Administration$300k–$2M · Annual cycle · Dec, Jan, Feb