Mission Statement

The mission of The Merchants Fund is to provide financial assistance to current merchants in Philadelphia.

Brief History

The Merchants Fund has provided support to Philadelphia merchants during times of financial hardship since 1854. Our vision is for a Philadelphia where small businesses and their owners thrive and where talented and diverse merchants have equitable access to meaningful assistance, capital, and other resources necessary to build business, family, and community wealth. We give life to this vision through the strategic deployment of flexible capital including grantmaking and forgivable loans, values-aligned and mission-driven investments, and individualized business coaching for grantees. We prioritize support to BIPOC-, immigrant-, and women-owned businesses operating in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. Since 2007, TMF has disbursed over $8.75M in grants and closed 2022 having made its 1000th grant.

TMF is a public charity under Section 501(c)3 of the IRS statute.