About the Center
The Center by Lendistry is a nonprofit organization that aims to impact small businesses in underserved communities by providing necessary business resources for success. The Center provides aid through education, funding, business consulting, and additional opportunities to support small businesses. Our hands-on approach ensures that these businesses obtain the most essential elements to succeed within their particular industry or business model.
The Center is the educational and technical assistance arm of Lendistry, and an independent tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Lendistry is a minority-led, technology enabled Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides loans and other financial products to underserved small business owners.*
Meet Our President & CEO
Tunua Thrash-Ntuk is a seasoned community and economic development practitioner with more than 15-years of experience in both non-profit and private sectors. Her strengths range from community advocacy, to asset and real estate development around neighborhood revitalization. Prior to joining The Center by Lendistry, Tunua served Senior Executive Director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation in Los Angeles (LISC LA), where she successfully expanded LISC LA’s housing, small business and lending programs and deepened its commitment to racial equity by bridging gaps in wealth and opportunity for Greater Los Angeles families and businesses. For her accomplishments and leadership, Tunua has been awarded California Black Women’s Collective’s “Trail Blazer Hall of Fame Award”, was named LA’s 2021 Impact Makers to Watch by Stratiscope and received the Wells Fargo Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Award by Los Angeles Business Journal.
She serves as a board member or advisory board member for many entities, including Federal Home Loan Bank San Francisco’s Affordable Housing Council, Housing California, City of LA Measure HHH Citizens Oversight Commission, Southern California Edison’s Consumer Advisory Panel, Greenlining Institute, Union Bank’s Community Advisory Board, Frontier Communications Community Advisory Board and the Los Angeles Development Fund, which is the City of Los Angeles’ New Market Tax Credit implementation group. Tunua is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she earned her Master’s in City Planning, as well as an alumna of UC Berkeley.
Our Mission
At The Center by Lendistry, we believe that underserved small businesses need a good sounding board, education, and support from various resources. To meet that need, we blend our resources with other nonprofits, businesses, and government-sponsored entities. Our mission is to help small businesses reach their dreams by listening to their needs, providing education and innovative solutions, and creating a vibrant business community based on collaboration and synergy.
Our Partner Program
The Center by Lendistry is a nonprofit organization that aims to impact small businesses in underserved communities by providing necessary business resources for success. We welcome and encourage new community partners to help underrepresented and small businesses owners with access to educational and financial resources, capital, accounting, and marketing and business support.
We are proud to be working with the following partners:
