Financing · Direct Lenders
Foundation Finance Company Review
Home-improvement installment financing with first and second looks across credit tiers
Quick verdict
Who Foundation Finance Company fits: Home-improvement contractors (HVAC, roofing, siding, windows, solar, water treatment, remodeling) whose customers span a wide range of credit profiles. Trade-offs: No published APR range; Tier 3-5 risk discounts and promotion fees not published; payment only after job completion and a verification call; home-improvement markets only.
Fees & terms
Foundation Finance Company is a direct lender offering closed-end installment contracts for home-improvement projects. Foundation says it is free to join its dealer network, with no monthly charges or volume requirements. Contracts go up to $100,000 over 12-240 months, with options for customers with FICOs as low as 550. Foundation does not publish its APRs or dealer fees; it offers low-fee rate buy-downs, same-as-cash promotions and no-fee options.
- Cost to contractor
- Free to join, no monthly charges or volume requirements. Tier 1 and 2 approvals pay out 100% with no risk discount; Tier 3-5 risk discounts vary by credit and application. Promotional and buy-down fees are not published.
- Customer APR
- Not published; fixed-rate installment contracts, rates vary by credit tier, promotion and dealer
- Loan size
- Projects up to $100,000; terms 12-240 months
Affiliate disclosure: The link to Foundation Finance Company on this page goes to its own site and is not an affiliate link.
About Foundation Finance Company
Foundation Finance Company is a Wisconsin-based lender that offers point-of-sale financing for home-improvement contractors. It was founded in 2012 through a partnership of a management team and Garrison Investment Group, and in September 2022 InterVest Capital Partners, a New York specialty finance investor, acquired it from Garrison. Foundation says it operates in all 50 states and that its dealer network has more than 8,500 contractors.
The product is a fixed-rate, closed-end installment contract of up to $100,000 with terms of 12-240 months and no prepayment penalty. Foundation says it approves across five credit tiers, with options for customers with FICOs as low as 550, and it offers second look financing that can use the signed application a customer already submitted to another lender. Its markets list covers home improvement, HVAC, remodeling, roofing, siding, solar and energy efficiency, turf, water treatment and windows.
For the contractor, Foundation says joining is free, takes less than five minutes and carries no monthly charges or volume requirements. Tier 1 and 2 approvals pay out 100% with no risk discount, while Tier 3-5 approvals carry a risk discount that varies with the customer's credit and application. Promotions include reduced rates, same-as-cash, deferred payments and no payments-no interest, and Foundation says no-fee options are also available.
The trade-off: Foundation publishes neither its APR range nor its dealer fees or risk discounts, so a contractor only learns the true cost of each tier and promotion after enrolling. Get the fee schedule in writing and explain the customer's rate clearly, since lower-tier approvals are priced for higher credit risk.
How it works
The contractor sends the customer a custom credit application link by text or email, or posts it on a website. The customer can prequalify with a soft credit pull; driver's license scanning fills in the application. Contract documents go out through DocuSign, the contractor completes the job, Foundation makes a customer verification call, and the contractor is paid by ACH. Declined applications from another lender can be submitted for a second look.
Pros & cons
What works
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Approvals across credit tiers
Foundation says it approves across five tiers, with options for customers with FICOs as low as 550, plus second look financing for applicants declined elsewhere.
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Free to join
Foundation says enrolling is free, takes less than five minutes and has no monthly charges or volume requirements.
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Large projects and long terms
Installment contracts go up to $100,000 with terms of 12-240 months and no prepayment penalty.
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Paperless workflow
Soft-pull prequalification, driver's license scanning, DocuSign contracts and the LaunchPAD dealer portal for tracking applications.
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Range of promotions
Reduced-rate, same-as-cash, deferred-payment and no payments-no interest plans, including options Foundation describes as no-fee.
What doesn't
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No published APRs
Foundation does not publish an APR range, so customer rates are only known per approval.
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Dealer costs not published
Risk discounts for Tier 3-5 approvals and promotion fees are not published; confirm them in writing before relying on them.
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Paid after verification
Funding comes by ACH only after the job is complete and Foundation's customer verification call.
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Home-improvement focus
Its markets list covers home improvement, HVAC, remodeling, roofing, siding, solar, turf, water treatment and windows, not general service or repair work.
Features & integrations
Key features
Integrations
Frequently asked
Who owns Foundation Finance?
InterVest Capital Partners, a New York specialty finance investor, acquired Foundation Finance from Garrison Investment Group in September 2022, according to Foundation's own press release. Foundation was founded in 2012 and is based in Rothschild, Wisconsin.
How much does Foundation Finance cost a contractor?
Foundation says it is free to join its dealer network, with no monthly charges or volume requirements. Tier 1 and 2 approvals pay out 100% with no risk discount; Tier 3-5 approvals carry a risk discount that varies by credit and application. Foundation does not publish those discounts or its promotion fees, so get your schedule in writing.
What loan sizes and terms does Foundation Finance offer?
Installment contracts for projects up to $100,000, with terms of 12-240 months and no prepayment penalty. Foundation does not publish an APR range; rates, terms and promotions vary by dealer and credit tier.
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