GraceWorks Lending Partners with Covenant Presbyterian Church in 2026
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- Apr 1
- 3 min read
Some partnerships are transactional. Ours with Covenant Presbyterian Church has never been that.
Since GraceWorks Lending was founded in 2020 — then known as Margin Institute — Covenant has been one of our most faithful and visionary partners. What began as a shared theological conviction has grown into something tangible and multiplying: real loans, real families, real change across Central Texas.
This year, we are honored to announce that Covenant's missions team has once again extended their partnership, to continue investing in underserved entrepreneurs who are building businesses, supporting families, and contributing to the fabric of our community.
A Partnership Built on Belief
Covenant's investment hasn't simply funded loans. It has funded a model.
Every dollar GraceWorks lends at 6% interest — far below market rate — is repaid and re-lent to a new borrower. Our revolving loan fund means that Covenant's generosity doesn't stop working when a loan is repaid. It goes right back to work for the next family waiting in line. With a ~95% repayment rate and operating costs kept to just ~2% of the fund, the vast majority of every dollar Covenant gives ends up exactly where it belongs: in the hands of an entrepreneur.
Where the 2026 Grant Is Going
This year, GraceWorks is focused on the next loans in our pipeline. Three families are ready. Three businesses are waiting to be born. We keep our borrowers' names confidential, but their stories deserve to be told.
A Dream Carried Across the Ocean
One West African family has been building a catering business out of their home kitchen for five years — cooking for friends, then neighbors, then businesses across the Austin area. All while raising two young children. Word of mouth has made their food a quiet local sensation.
What they need now is a food truck — a way to take their flavors to festivals, markets, and events across Central Texas. This loan would mean financial stability, a legacy for their children, and the satisfaction of building something lasting on American soil. They are people of deep Christian faith, and they are ready.
Rebuilding, Stitch by Stitch and Mile by Mile
A Ukrainian couple did not choose to leave their home. The war made that choice for them. They arrived in America with their faith, their hands, and their determination.
She is a wedding dress designer and seamstress — someone who has spent her career helping brides step into some of life's most sacred moments. He has already built a small Turo rental car business through sheer resourcefulness, growing his fleet one booking at a time. They are now rebuilding their lives in two directions at once. A loan would help sustain what they've already built and open the door to what they're still becoming.
Building Something Beautiful, One Board at a Time
A Ukrainian cabinetmaker fled a country where ordinary life was interrupted by bombs. He arrived in America determined not to be a burden — determined, in fact, to build something beautiful. He sees raw wood and envisions something worth making.
His skill is real and the market is ready. But tools, materials, and startup costs don't appear on their own. A loan would be the difference between a potential and a business. And something else is happening, too: through the way GraceWorks has treated him — with dignity, not charity — he is beginning to understand why followers of Christ would invest in a stranger from Ukraine. This loan may be the most eloquent sermon he ever encounters.
What Comes Next
GraceWorks will walk alongside each of these families as they finalize their business plans, ensuring they are fully prepared to borrow and repay responsibly. Partnership grants will be deployed to the first borrowers whose plans are ready. The others will remain in our pipeline — next in line as revolving repayments and new grants make additional loans possible.
This is who GraceWorks is: we don't rush loans to meet a deadline. We invest in relationships. We lend when the timing is right for the borrower.
Gratitude
We are deeply grateful to Whitney Bell, Director of Mission at Covenant, and to the entire missions committee for their continued trust and partnership. And to Chuck Volk, whose advocacy for GraceWorks within Covenant has meant more than we can fully express — thank you.
Grace really does work.
If you'd like to learn more about GraceWorks Lending or partner with us in our mission, visit us at graceworkslending.org.
"Lend. Lift. Flourish."
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