When extreme weather devastates a community, small businesses are often among the hardest hit, and the least able to wait for help. In those first days after a disaster, access to fast, flexible capital can mean the difference between reopening and closing forever.
That critical need was recently highlighted in Inc. Magazine, which featured LiftFund in its feature, front-page article “How Extreme Weather Puts Small Businesses on the Brink.” The national coverage recognizes LiftFund’s leadership in small business disaster recovery, and underscores the vital role donor support plays in making that work possible.
Why the First Two Weeks Matter
After a flood, hurricane, wildfire, or severe storm, small business owners face immediate financial pressure. Facilities may be damaged, inventory destroyed, employees displaced, and revenue abruptly halted. While federal programs are important, they often take weeks or months to deliver assistance.
As LiftFund President and CEO Amy Hereford explained in Inc.:
“In the first two weeks, businesses need a little bit of money very quickly.”
That early window is where donor-funded support has the greatest impact. Rapid-response grants allow entrepreneurs to cover urgent expenses, stabilize operations, and begin recovery before long-term funding arrives.
A Proven Model, Powered by Donors
LiftFund’s disaster recovery work is rooted in decades of experience. As noted in Inc., LiftFund has been supporting small businesses through disasters since Hurricane Katrina, refining an approach built on speed, accessibility, and trust.
According to Amy Hereford, LiftFund has:
“Awarded more than 300 grants of up to $10,000 in Texas to date.”
These awarded grants refer to the Hill Country Disaster Relief Program, in which, LiftFund has raised over $5 million. Since 1994, LiftFund has provided more than 11,000 small businesses with over $222 million, supporting 47,000 jobs. LiftFund's disaster relief and recovery programs often pair grants and flexible loans with one-on-one business support to help entrepreneurs stabilize operations, retain employees, and begin rebuilding while longer-term recovery resources are still in process.
More Than Funding: Strengthening Communities
Donor dollars do more than help individual businesses reopen; they help entire communities recover. LiftFund works closely with local chambers of commerce, nonprofit partners, and civic leaders to ensure disaster recovery resources reach the businesses that need them most, especially in rural and underserved areas.
The Inc. feature highlights how community-based organizations like LiftFund fill critical gaps left by larger systems. With donor backing, LiftFund is able to respond quickly, reduce barriers to assistance, and ensure recovery is equitable and inclusive.
National Recognition, Local Impact
Being featured in Inc. Magazine affirms what donors have made possible: a disaster recovery model that works when timing is everything. LiftFund’s approach demonstrates how early, flexible capital can preserve jobs, stabilize neighborhoods, and protect the small businesses that anchor local economies.
Your Partnership Makes Rapid Recovery Possible
As extreme weather events increase in frequency and severity, the need for immediate small business recovery funding continues to grow. Donor support allows LiftFund to be ready, before disaster strikes, and to act quickly when it does.
Together, we can ensure that when small businesses are on the brink, help is already on the way.
Would you like to contribute to LiftFund's Disaster Relief Fund? Please contact Liliane Spenle at lspenle@liftfund.com.
Read the additional stories available in this feature here and here.
