Self-Help Credit Union was chartered in 1983 to build a network of branches that partner with working families and communities often underserved by the financial marketplace. They got their start in rural North Carolina, helping employees form worker-owned co-ops and gain ownership of mills that were being shut down. They observed workers getting stopped in their tracks because they couldn’t get conventional financing. In response, they created the Self-Help Credit Union with the goal of helping small businesses. With over $1.7B in assets and serving more than 89,000 members in 37 branches — eight in Florida, 22 in North Carolina, six in South Carolina, and one in Virginia — Self-Help Credit Union is one of the fastest-growing community development financial institutions in the country.