The Mill Microloans

What The Mill Microloans does

The Mill Microloans, operating publicly as Windmill Microlending (Le Moulin Microcrédits), is a Canadian registered charity (charitable number 862367182RR0001) founded in 2004 and headquartered in Montréal, with national operations across Canada. The organization provides low-interest microloans of up to $15,000 to skilled immigrants and refugees to finance professional re-entry costs including credential evaluation, licensing exams, training, and higher education. Its core offerings are two loan products: the Windmill Career Loan at 5.95% fixed interest and the Healthcare Reaccreditation Loan at 4.45% fixed for regulated healthcare professionals, both with 0% admin fees and interest-only payments available during study periods. Over 15,000 clients have been served since inception, with the model explicitly addressing Canada's skilled labor and healthcare shortages.

The platform bundles lending with non-financial services — free career coaching, a structured mentorship program, and financial literacy training — creating a hybrid microfinance-plus-workforce-reintegration model rather than a pure-play lending product. The technology stack comprises a web-based pre-application eligibility quiz, a dedicated client portal (app.windmillmicrolending.org), and a separate Community Success Hub for mentor/mentee engagement; loan origination is processed digitally with personalized support from career coaches throughout the application and repayment journey. The site operates bilingually in English and French.

Revenue is generated primarily through interest income on the loan portfolio, supplemented by charitable donations and social impact investment (Prosperity Campaign 2026, monthly giving, gift and estate planning). The organization maintains strategic partnerships with the Governments of Ontario and Quebec and with major Canadian banks Scotiabank and RBC, which provide both funding and distribution reach. With 11–50 employees, Windmill has scaled to become the only national charity in Canada focused specifically on affordable career loans for skilled immigrants, with awards including four consecutive years as Canada's Top Performing Charity, a 100% Impact Genome effectiveness rating, and Great Place To Work certification through 2026.

Name

The Mill Microloans

Legal name

Windmill Microlending

Website

https://lemoulinmicrocredits.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Windmill Microlending (The Mill Microloans) is a Canadian registered charity providing low-interest loans up to $15,000, plus coaching and mentorship, to skilled immigrants and refugees for professional re-entry across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Microfinance / Microlending for Immigrants

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Microloans & Working Capital Loans (FSAKAGAA)

Keywords

• Microloans for immigrants
• Career lending
• Skilled immigrant finance
• Healthcare reaccreditation loans
• Refugee financial support

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Revenue: Windmill Microlending generates revenue through interest payments on loans provided to skilled immigrants. Interest rates are fixed at 5.95% for career loans and 4.45% for healthcare reaccreditation loans, with loan amounts up to $15,000. The organization operates as a registered charity and also receives donations and social impact investment to subsidize rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Mill Microloans (Windmill Microlending / Le Moulin Microcrédits) is a Canadian registered charity that issues affordable low-interest loans of up to $15,000 to skilled immigrants and refugees for training, licensing exams, and accreditation. Each loan is bundled at no additional cost with career coaching, mentorship, and financial literacy training, with rates of 5.95% for general career loans and a preferential 4.45% for regulated healthcare professionals, and interest-only payments available during study periods.

Product overview

Windmill Microlending is a national charity offering a unified lending platform for skilled immigrants and refugees. The core offering consists of two loan products: the Windmill Career Loan at 5.95% fixed interest (up to $15,000) and the Healthcare Reaccreditation Loan at 4.45% fixed interest for regulated healthcare professionals. Both loan products bundle in complementary support services including free career coaching, mentorship programs, and financial literacy training. Clients access their accounts through a dedicated client portal and community platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Windmill Career Loan An affordable career loan offering up to $15,000 at a 5.95% fixed interest rate for skilled immigrants to cover training, exams, licensing, and higher education costs. Interest-only payments are available while studying and there is a 0% admin fee.
• Healthcare Reaccreditation Loan An exclusive healthcare loan for regulated healthcare professionals (doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists) at a preferential 4.45% fixed interest rate, up to $15,000, designed to support reaccreditation, licensing exams, and credential evaluation. Interest-only payments are available while studying with a 0% admin fee.
• Coaching and Supports Free career coaching and support services delivered alongside Windmill loans, including personalized guidance from career coaches to help skilled immigrants successfully return to their trained professions in Canada.
• Mentorship Program A mentorship program that matches clients with experienced mentors or allows them to participate as mentees, providing structured career guidance and professional development support during re-licensing transitions.
• Client Portal A self-serve online client portal where existing borrowers can view and manage their Windmill loans.
• Community Success Hub A community engagement platform supporting client and mentor sign-in and registration, sustaining the Windmill community network of borrowers and mentors across Canada.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients triple their income on average after returning to their trained profession
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Calmeadow Foundation: Canadian charitable foundation operating microloan and social enterprise programs for people excluded from mainstream finance. Same Canadian charitable microlending category as Windmill, with similar mission-aligned lending and support-bundling approach.
• Momentum (Calgary): Calgary-based nonprofit providing microloans, business coaching, and poverty-reduction programs. Canadian nonprofit microlender with similar coaching-plus-capital bundling, though serving broader low-income population rather than skilled immigrants specifically.
• Grameen America: US-based nonprofit microlender providing small loans to low-income entrepreneurs, mostly women. Closest direct comparable to Windmill's nonprofit microloan-plus-support model serving underserved populations, though geographically US-focused rather than Canadian newcomers specifically.
• Jewish Free Loan Association (Toronto): Toronto-based charitable organization providing interest-free loans to individuals in financial need. Comparable Canadian charity-lending model serving community members facing financial barriers, though faith-community affiliated.
• Kiva (Kiva Microfunds): Global nonprofit crowdfunding platform enabling crowdfunded microloans to underserved borrowers. Comparable charity-driven microlending model, operating at much larger global scale but with similar subsidized-rate philosophy.
• SINA (St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Centre) Microloan Program: Toronto-based charity operating a microloan program focused on newcomers and refugees, similar to Windmill. Directly comparable Canadian charitable microloans for newcomers with bundled settlement supports.

Others

• Prosper Canada: Canadian charity focused on financial empowerment, financial literacy, and inclusion for low-income people. Directly comparable bundled financial-literacy and coaching services that Windmill attaches to its loans; relevant adjacent peer in the newcomer financial-inclusion ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Futurpreneur Canada: Canadian nonprofit providing financing, mentorship, and resources to young entrepreneurs (ages 18-39). Adjacent Canadian charitable lending plus mentorship model, but focused on age-based entrepreneurship rather than newcomer career re-entry.

Broad incumbents

• BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada): Crown corporation providing financing and advisory services to Canadian small businesses, including newcomers. Operates at significantly larger scale across many verticals, but overlaps with Windmill in serving newcomer entrepreneurs with capital plus advisory services.
• ACCION International / Accion Opportunity Fund: Global nonprofit microfinance network and US-based CDFI providing small-dollar loans and small-business support to underserved entrepreneurs. Offers a broader portfolio than Windmill (small-business focus globally) but applies the same microlending-plus-support thesis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lemoulincanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-moulin-microcredits

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Mill Microloans