Finalist
Truist Foundation Inspire Awards Year 2

The EPIC Project

Team Leader
Thelma Adams Johnson
The EPIC solution provides access to capital and business development services by using data from the Plaid platform.
What is the name of your organization?
ACT! Albany Community Together, Inc.
What is the name of your solution?
The EPIC Project
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
The EPIC solution provides access to capital and business development services by using data from the Plaid platform.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Albany, GA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
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What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Inability of Black and low-wealth business owners to access capital at the rate and amount needed to scale and sustain their businesses because of a lack of proper business operations documentation, historically financial trends, and banking relationships.
What is your solution?
The EPIC solution provides access to capital and business development services by using data from the Plaid platform to determine repayment ability, bypassing traditional underwriting processes of using business financial documents to make a decision.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
We serve women, minorities, and low- to moderate-income entrepreneurs who are often underserved by traditional financial institutions. Our work focuses on business owners operating in both urban and rural-adjacent communities, particularly in rural areas where access to capital is extremely limited or nonexistent. Many of the entrepreneurs we support face systemic barriers such as limited collateral, lower credit scores, or lack of access to traditional banking relationships, which can prevent them from obtaining financing through conventional lenders.
Solution Team:
Thelma Adams Johnson
Thelma Adams Johnson
President CEO