About Valley Partners

Partners in funding businesses for economic growth since 1978.

Our Mission

Valley Economic Development Partners exists to support the creation and expansion of small businesses and local jobs where economic opportunity is needed most through education classes and flexible lending solutions in collaboration with other community development organizations.

Our Vision

Valley Partners' vision is for all the communities in our region to have access to the capital and financial services they need for their small businesses to grow and thrive.

Our Story

Valley Economic Development Partners is a private, non-profit organization focused on the social well-being of the Mahoning Valley and its surrounding regions. Our mission is to be a leader in developing employment opportunities through business creation, expansion, and retention in collaboration with other regional organizations.

Established in 1978 as Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation, 2020 turned out to be a year of growth and change as the organization became known as Valley Partners. Our focus on small business lending is the cornerstone of our path moving forward. We are a Certified Development Corporation, authorized to process SBA 504 and Community Advantage (7a) loans. We partner with our local financial institutions to put together the best possible lending packages for our business clients and partners. We also partner with economic development agencies such as the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the State of Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) in order to provide revolving loan funds to put together creative lending structures to “fill the gaps” as well

We have a diverse Board of Directors from the private and public sectors. We are not a government entity. We are based in Youngstown and provide selected services to Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Geauga, Portage, Lake and Belmont Counties in Ohio; and Lawrence, Mercer, Beaver and Franklin Counties in Pennsylvania. We offer our SBA 504 and Community Advantage products throughout the entire State of Ohio.

From Valley Partners’ inception, our mission of building and diversifying the regional economy has remained unchanged — even as we continue to refine and reshape our programs to address the changing dynamics of our regional economy. We have assisted over 2,000 businesses, which have added or retained more than 19,000 jobs.

Partners in funding for economic growth since 1978. We look forward to helping you grow your business!

CDFI Certified

Valley Partners is proud to be an official Community Development Financial Institution.

WHAT IS A CDFI?

Community Development Financial Institutions – or CDFIs – are mission-driven financial institutions dedicated to providing financial services to meet the needs of economically disadvantaged individuals within underserved communities.
CDFIs invest in local communities and the residents who live there by providing critically needed financing often unavailable from mainstream financial institutions.
CDFIs are certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund – known as the CDFI Fund. In order to become a certified CDFI, the financial institution must: have a primary mission of promoting community development; provide financial products and services; serve one or more defined low-income target markets; maintain accountability to the community it serves; and be a legal non-governmental entity.
All CDFIs share a common mission of serving low-income communities.
Certified CDFIs are part of a national network promoting economic growth in
America’s underserved communities by financing businesses, creating jobs, and rebuilding neighborhoods.
As a CDFI, Valley Partners puts the community first and values local, economic growth.