The eighth annual Co-op Innovation Awards supported five organizations’ work in California, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C.
September 28, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – Five innovative ideas in five cities have received a combined $170,000 in early-stage grant funding from Capital Impact Partners’ 2022 Co-op Innovation Awards, which aim to increase cooperative development in communities of color and communities living with low incomes.
This year’s awards, issued by Capital Impact Partners and National Cooperative Bank, are funding projects such as enabling Cambodian refugees to have permanent affordable housing; keeping a neighborhood safe so that families and businesses can thrive; creating an online marketplace for street food vendors; teaching skilled laborers how to become upholsterers; and helping a housing cooperative move toward sustainable growth.
These worker, housing, and food co-ops are innovating programs or strategies to offer workers, especially workers of color, an alternative to extractive systems.
“The Co-op Innovation Awards exemplify both a strong tradition and our current mission,” said Ellis Carr, president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance, each part of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations. “Capital Impact Partners was founded 40 years ago out of federal legislation to encourage co-op development, so co-op development is at our core. We have disbursed more than $315 million in lending to cooperative businesses since our inception. Momentus Capital continues to invest in the cooperative movement as we work to help bring equity and social and economic justice for disinvested communities throughout the United States.”
“Since 1978, National Cooperative Bank has had a mission to serve cooperative development and is proud to once again sponsor the Co-op Innovation Awards,” stated Casey Fannon, President and CEO. “The co-op model works in a wide range of sectors, as you can see from this year’s recipients, but what they all have in common is a commitment to improving the lives of their community and members.”
North American Students of Cooperation, Chicago, $35,000
The Industrial Commons, Morgantown, North Carolina, $30,000
Pilsen Housing Cooperative, Chicago, $30,000
Beloved Community Incubator, Washington, D.C., $25,000
Northside Residents Redevelopment Council is being awarded $50,000 to create a state-certified Community Safety Specialist apprenticeship program, formalizing and professionalizing a community-led patrol program that has existed in North Minneapolis for decades. These patrols aim to generate community wealth through cooperative ownership and by cultivating safe, supportive, and economically vibrant neighborhoods where families can thrive.
Apprentices are drawn from the communities they serve and receive extensive classroom instruction before being paired with an experienced mentor, who has patrolled the neighborhood for years, for 2,000 hours of on-the-job training. Apprentices earn $19 per hour plus health benefits and are covered by a union contract. Upon graduation, they become journey-workers and earn $23 per hour.
“Over the last 12 months, young African American men in North Minneapolis have begun to transform their lives and their community through the Community Safety Specialist program. These apprentices have participated in intensive training and mentorship and are now providing culturally competent resources to address the challenges of violence, drug abuse and crime that have plagued their neighborhoods,” said Gayle Smaller, leader of the Community Safety Specialist Program and chair of the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council Public Safety Committee. “These workers, who earn a living wage with good benefits and union membership, now have the resources to pursue the creation of a worker cooperative and become owners in their workplace. Thank you to the Co-op Innovation Awards for your generous support.”
North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO) is being awarded $35,000 to establish a group-equity cooperative for a 209-unit complex in Stockton, California, that primarily houses Cambodian refugees and their families. The complex is owned by the Asian Pacific Self-Development and Residential Association. This project will pilot a scalable model where the Chicago-based NASCO works with tenants’ unions and residents of apartment buildings facing displacement and gentrification to provide training, and give them the tools to buy the properties and own them through the group-equity model.
“This funding will help a community primarily made up of Cambodian immigrants and their families to establish permanent community-controlled, affordable cooperative housing for themselves,” said Brel Hutton-Okpalaeke, director of development services for NASCO. “Directly funding the technical assistance and community training work that will be needed for this project gets this over the hump of being just a good idea to something we can actually do. This grant will allow NASCO to also engage in language justice work, funding the needed translation work for organizers for whom English is not their first language.”
The Industrial Commons is being awarded $30,000 toward a project called Seat at the Table, which takes the need for skilled labor and turns it into a multi-layered business that trains workers to become upholsterers, one of the highest paid jobs in furniture. Seat at the Table’s short-term goal is to create a training program in Morganton, North Carolina, where young people in the community can learn the skill of furniture production while fulfilling contracts for other local furniture companies. The long-term vision is to create a direct-to-consumer furniture manufacturing co-op whose member-owners will come from the training program.
“At The Industrial Commons we launch and scale worker cooperatives, and having flexible startup funds is important for any project we embark on,” said Aaron Dawson, workforce development senior director for The Industrial Commons. “We will use the grant to support a new co-op, Seat at the Table, and a young African-American man from our community, Herron Harper, who will help lead it. This funding couldn’t have come at a better time, as it will give Herron a chance to build his skills, create opportunities for others in our community and serve as the bridge to our sustainable future.”
Pilsen Housing Cooperative (PIHCO) is being awarded $30,000 toward the expansion to its third property, a “generator building” that will help make the co-op’s ongoing growth sustainable. By buying the building via donations, rather than debt, PIHCO can then use the building to help fund subsequent acquisitions and supplement capital improvements across its portfolio.
Through PIHCO, owner families can secure affordable homes in a neighborhood that many consider to be the heart of Mexican Chicago. They earn equity and build wealth, build leadership skills, increase democratic participation in civic life, and take a pragmatic stand against displacement.
“PIHCO provides a realistic option for people that have no other opportunity to purchase and stay in the neighborhood,” said Gabriel Villa, co-founder and Resident of PIHCO. In addition, “It creates another alternative of living and growing together as a community. In this country we’re used to just relying on your immediate family. Now all of a sudden you become part of a collective, and people have your back.”
Beloved Community Incubator is being awarded $25,000 to support the Vendors United Food Cooperative, a group of street food vendors in Washington, D.C. — many of whom have been persecuted by the police and locked out of the mainstream economy. The vendors are starting an online, cooperatively-owned marketplace to sell their food. Building on the success of its pilot program, Beloved Community Incubator will scale Vendors United Food Cooperative, help build the foundation of the cooperative, and strengthen their team, which will result in higher incomes and more democratic control.
“The Co-op Innovation Award will allow Beloved Community incubator to build on our track record of incubating worker cooperatives in the care sector that are owned and led by poor and working class Black and Brown workers, primarily women and femmes,” said Geoff Gilbert, legal and technical assistance director for Beloved Community Incubator. “Investment in the Vendors United Food Cooperative represents a unique opportunity to bring informal economy workers into the solidarity economy ecosystem while DC street vendors continue to fight together to decriminalize street vending and to create a just licensing system in the District.”
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About Momentus Capital
Momentus Capital is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve.
Through our family of mission-driven organizations including Capital Impact Partners, CDC Small Business Finance, and Ventures Lending Technologies, we are working to reinvent traditional financial systems that have failed to address systemic issues of inequality, economic empowerment, and the widening racial wealth gap.
Each organization under the Momentus Capital brand will continue operating as a separate entity committed to serving its key market and clients, albeit with additional resources and product offerings.
We offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions.
Leveraging 80 years of combined experience, a portfolio of nearly $3 billion, and strong community engagement, the family of companies has delivered more than $23 billion in financing, created and preserved 250,000 jobs, and served 12,000 small businesses and five million people across their history.
With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and San Diego, California, Momentus Capital operates nationally with a focus on larger urban areas and cities in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
Capital Impact is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve. We work to champion key issues of equity and social and economic justice by deploying mission-driven financing, capacity-building programs, and impact investing opportunities.
Capital Impact is now part of the Momentus Capital family of organizations, including CDC Small Business Finance and Ventures Lending Technologies. Together, we offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions.
A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, Capital Impact has disbursed more than $2.5 billion since 1982 to create access to critical social services, grow entrepreneurs, and create quality jobs. Capital Impact’s leadership in delivering financial and social impact has resulted in the organization being rated by S&P Global and recognized by Aeris for its performance.
Headquartered in Arlington, VA, Capital Impact Partners operates nationally, with local teams in Austin, TX, Detroit, MI, New York, NY, and Oakland, CA.
National Cooperative Bank is dedicated to strengthening communities nationwide through the delivery of banking and financial services, complemented by a special focus on cooperative expansion and economic development. NCB provides financial products and services for the nation’s cooperatives, their members, and socially responsible organizations. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Bank has offices in Alaska, California, New York, Ohio, and Virginia. To learn more, visit www.ncb.coop, National Cooperative Bank on Facebook and Instagram, or on Twitter @natlcoopbank.
Developers of color have historically faced significant barriers resulting from generations of structural racism and disinvestment. This investment will go toward Momentus Capital’s efforts to help developers grow their businesses.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 (Arlington, VA/San Diego, CA) –Momentus Capital announced today that U.S. Bank has purchased a $5 million Racial Equity Bond from Capital Impact Partners, part of the Momentus Capital family of companies. It is the first time that Capital Impact Partners has offered a bond like this; the use of funds is restricted to ensure investors’ funds go to developers of color and the work is achieving its intended racial equity impact.
This investment will help support Momentus Capital’s continued work toward helping real estate developers of color in an industry where they are starkly underrepresented to create generational wealth, construct developments that are aligned with community needs, and build more affordable housing.
14th annual list honors a wide-ranging group of individuals across an array of industries
August 9, 2022 (Arlington, VA and San Diego, CA) – Ellis Carr, the president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance — each part of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations — has been selected by Fast Company in the business publication’s 14th annual list of the Most Creative People in Business.
The list, announced today, recognizes individuals making a cultural impact via bold achievements that have never been accomplished before in their chosen fields, from entertainment to healthcare to food. Fast Company editors and writers research candidates for the list throughout the year, scouting every business sector, including technology, medicine, engineering, marketing, entertainment, design, and social good, to find those who are leading with creativity during one of the most challenging times in history.
Fast Company highlighted Carr and the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations — which includesCapital Impact Partners,CDC Small Business Finance, andVentures Lending Technologies — for creating the EDI program, a national program that helps developers of color overcome systemic issues and lead affordable real estate projects.
“I’m excited for the recognition, but I’m even more excited that publications like Fast Company recognize the need to be creative in working with communities to solve systemic issues. This work helps local leaders and entrepreneurs advance solutions that build strong and vibrant economies,” Mr. Carr said. “The EDI program team at Momentus Capital, and the experts who contribute their time and mentorship, have created an invaluable resource for developers of color and the communities they serve.”
The EDI program launched in Detroit in 2018, expanded into the Washington metropolitan area in 2019, the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021, and the Dallas metropolitan area in 2022. So far, more than 200 developers of color have completed the EDI program or are currently participating. Many of the alumni have since gone on to create their own organizations, build local developments, and foster peer-to-peer networks.
Historically, the real estate industry has been dominated by larger national and global firms. Developers of color face significant barriers to entering the real estate space due to the lack of access to capital, equity and experience – the result of generations of structural racism and disinvestment.
The EDI program provides developers with broad-based training – in areas such as project budgeting, real estate finance, project and contractor management, legal services and community engagement – as well as local mentorship, network building, and pathways for them to access funding.
“We’re helping real estate developers of color grow their businesses in an industry where they are severely underrepresented, which helps these developers build generational wealth,” said Mr. Carr. “These developers are able to build more affordable housing, create more jobs, and provide communities with the opportunities they deserve to succeed and thrive.”
The success of the EDI program has also led to additional programs and partnerships to support developers farther along in their career but still facing barriers. In 2022, Momentus Capital partnered with the Amazon Housing Equity Fund to launch the HEAF program for 15 developers of color in the Washington region. Also this year, Momentus Capital joined up with three other community development financial institutions and the Wells Fargo Foundation to launch Growing Housing Developers (GHD), working with 39 developers of color around the country.
These programs exemplify how Momentus Capital is delivering a continuum of financial capital, knowledge capital, and social capital to transform how the financial sector serves local leaders who are building inclusive, equitable communities and creating generational wealth.
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About the Most Creative People in Business List
The individuals honored in Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business list have all accomplished something truly innovative within the past 12 months or so. Additionally, no one on this list has ever been profiled in the pages of Fast Company before. Together, they represent the future of business.
“Most Creative People represents Fast Company at its best,” says Brendan Vaughan, Fast Company’s Editor-in-Chief. “These dozens of human stories showcase how creativity is one of the most underrated ways to transform business.”
Introduced in 2009, the Most Creative People list quickly established itself as one of Fast Company’s most esteemed franchises. Each year, the magazine’s editors present an all-new list of people chosen according to a proprietary methodology.
Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business issue (September 2022) is available online now here and on newsstands beginning August 16. Join the Most Creative People conversation using #FCMostCreative.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
About Momentus Capital
Momentus Capital is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve.
Through our family of mission-driven organizations including Capital Impact Partners, CDC Small Business Finance, and Ventures Lending Technologies, we are working to reinvent traditional financial systems that have failed to address systemic issues of inequality, economic empowerment, and the widening racial wealth gap.
Each organization under the Momentus Capital brand will continue operating as a separate entity committed to serving its key market and clients, albeit with additional resources and product offerings.
We offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions.
Leveraging 80 years of combined experience, a portfolio of nearly $3 billion, and strong community engagement, the family of companies has delivered more than $23 billion in financing, created and preserved 250,000 jobs, and served 12,000 small businesses and five million people across their history.
With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and San Diego, California, Momentus Capital operates nationally with a focus on larger urban areas and cities in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
August 2, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – Capital Impact Partners announced today that Aflac Incorporated has publicly announced a $15 million investment in Capital Impact Investment Notes (“Notes”).
“As a compassionate company that is innately driven by our commitment to the policyholders and communities we serve, we are continually seeking investment opportunities that champion underserved communities,” said Teresa McTague, Chief Investment Officer of Aflac U.S. and Aflac Global Investments’ Global Head of ESG Investment Strategies. “The opportunity presented by Capital Impact Partners aligned very well with the Socioeconomic Advancement and Empowerment category under our Sustainability Bond Framework. We were thrilled to identify and act upon this caliber of investment opportunity through Capital Impact Partners. Our investment and partnership is far more than transactional to us; it embodies our vision of making a direct and measurable difference in the lives of many, which exemplifies core values our company treasures.”
“We are thrilled to join in celebrating Aflac Incorporated’s commitment toward our mission,” said Natalie Gunn, Chief Financial Officer of Capital Impact Partners. “We’ve shown over the past 40 years just how effective impact investing can be. We’re able to deliver a strong financial performance while fulfilling our mission of creating social and economic justice in disinvested communities throughout the United States.”
July 28, 2022 (Arlington, VA and San Diego, CA) – Momentus Capital is honored to serve as one of the founding members of newly created Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC).
The EOC is made up of 23 companies and foundations, including 14 companies ranked in the Fortune 500. Their goal is to focus commitments and their major investments to better support communities.
“Momentus Capital is uniquely positioned to serve a significant role representing mission-driven financial institutions on the Economic Opportunity Coalition,” said Ellis Carr, president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance, each part of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations. “Our team has extensive experience with small business and community development, and the ability to offer a continuum of capital at every growth stage to support economic mobility and wealth creation.”
Capital Impact Partners, CDC Small Business Finance, and Ventures Lending Technologies bring more than 80 years of combined small business and community development experience to the Momentus Capital family of organizations.
JULY 21, 2022 (Arlington, VA/San Diego, CA) – The financial sector can play a greater role in helping build inclusive and equitable communities — by providing people with access to the capital and opportunities they deserve. Opening up these doors is fundamental for local leaders and entrepreneurs to contribute not only to their communities, but to our shared economy.
For too long, many people — especially people of color — have been overlooked, ignored, or systematically excluded from the current system. Residents from all walks of life deserve to have equitable access to the things that contribute to their health and wealth: a vibrant local economy with good jobs; high-quality social services; and a voice in what happens in their community.
“Small business owners, developers, and other local leaders are the engines of job creation and economic activity in communities across the country. When these leaders have the opportunity to succeed, their communities, their residents — and our country — thrive,” said Ellis Carr. “We need bold thinking and a holistic approach to unleash solutions for underestimated communities. Momentus Capital was created to meet that challenge.”
Each organization under the Momentus Capital brand will continue operating as a separate entity committed to serving its key market and clients, albeit with additional resources and product offerings.
By unifying as Momentus Capital with one shared vision and mission, these leading, mission-driven financial organizations can achieve even more than they could working as separate entities.
To achieve that shared vision and mission, Momentus Capital is uniquely positioned to provide entrepreneurs and local leaders at every stage of their growth with a continuum of capital and opportunities under one roof. These key resources that address the challenges of — and support the solutions for — underestimated communities include:
Financial capital: a range of flexible debt and equity products to meet Momentus Capital’s partners’ needs, as well as access to new markets and potential investors
Knowledge capital: business advising, assistance, and training to develop the skills and insights that can help partners advance their enterprises
Social capital: connections to networks and people that can help Momentus Capital’s partners succeed
Momentus Capital further amplifies this approach through technology solutions — including the industry-leading Ventures+ loan software — that assist its partners in making a greater impact in their communities.
Investments and Innovations
Momentus Capital is the culmination of a vision that Mr. Carr and Kurt Chilcott, the longtime leader of CDC Small Business Finance, began to develop in 2019. These leaders sought a way that both organizations, impactful in their own right, could accelerate their work. Mr. Carr, the president and CEO of Capital Impact since 2016, was named the CEO of CDC Small Business Finance in 2021, while Mr. Chilcott transitioned to a role as chair of both organizations’ boards. Under their leadership, Momentus Capital will continue to innovate how capital and investments flow into communities.
“In the midst of developing the strategy for Momentus Capital, we witnessed the toll from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing racial reckoning,” said Mr. Chilcott. “While challenging, those two years strengthened our resolve as we witnessed how these experiences specifically impacted communities of color and fueled the growing wealth gap.”
Momentus Capital combines its national presence with a local, place-based approach. It works with local leaders — including small business owners, social entrepreneurs, community-minded developers, policy-makers, and builders of community facilities — to identify issues and drive solutions.
This approach is supported by the organization’s lending and investment activities: over $700 million annually deployed to support small business owners, developers, and other community leaders. That, in turn, builds on more than $23 billion of investments that the Momentus Capital family of companies already made to support community solutions throughout their histories.
To support these community solutions, Momentus Capital is:
Rethinking its credit parameters, and developing new lending and investing products to create more equitable access to capital for borrowers and projects who have traditionally been denied.
Enhancing its lending with programs that solve for systemic issues through training, mentorship, and network building.
Deploying technology solutions for community-focused partners and lenders to amplify their work.
Working alongside partners in shaping national, regional, and local policy to address systemic inequities and expanding funding opportunities.
Combining robust financial experience with community trust to attract mainstream dollars and deliver them to locally-led projects.
“We are constantly working to rethink outdated approaches that limit who has access to capital,” said Mr. Carr. “Where others see risk, we see the opportunity to demonstrate that communities deserve investment. As more capital flows into these communities, the residents benefit — as do we all.”
Among the recent programs and initiatives from the Momentus Capital family of companies:
Activate Detroit, a new loan product that is empowering Black entrepreneurs by focusing on character-based evaluations, rather than credit scores.
Impower, which helps business owners who have been denied for a commercial real estate loan, assisting them with the opportunity to build wealth, create jobs and stay in the communities they serve.
The EDI, HEAF, and Growing Housing Developers (GHD) programs, all of which provide training, mentorship, connections, and pathways to financing for developers of color, helping them overcome racial barriers and systemic issues.
Expanding access to Ventures+, a proprietary loan processing and portfolio management tool that has become one of the top resources for small business and community lenders. This has helped other local lenders create an impact in their communities by providing access to high-level services they would otherwise be unlikely to manage on their own.
Launching an Impact Investing group to jumpstart growth-stage businesses that will impact their communities. Equity investments make up less than 2% of CDFI portfolios in the United States. This will fill a crucial gap for companies like this that need more than traditional debt products.
Coming Soon! We are developing an investment bank to better connect investors with community organizations through community-centric securities offerings.
“Momentus Capital is dedicated to the idea that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the dreams they have for themselves, their communities, and for generations to come,” said Mr. Carr. “I’m encouraged about what we’ve been able to achieve leading up to this key milestone. But I’m even more excited about the opportunities that stand before us to make real change.”
About Momentus Capital
Momentus Capital is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve.
Through our family of mission-driven organizations including Capital Impact Partners, CDC Small Business Finance, and Ventures Lending Technologies, we are working to reinvent traditional financial systems that have failed to address systemic issues of inequality, economic empowerment, and the widening racial wealth gap.
Each organization under the Momentus Capital brand will continue operating as a separate entity committed to serving its key market and clients, albeit with additional resources and product offerings.
We offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions.
Leveraging 80 years of combined experience, a portfolio of nearly $3 billion, and strong community engagement, the family of companies has delivered more than $23 billion in financing, created and preserved 250,000 jobs, and served 12,000 small businesses and five million people across their history.
With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and San Diego, California, Momentus Capital operates nationally with a focus on larger urban areas and cities in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
Capital Impact is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve. We work to champion key issues of equity and social and economic justice by deploying mission-driven financing, capacity-building programs, and impact investing opportunities.
Capital Impact is now part of the Momentus Capital family of organizations, including CDC Small Business Finance and Ventures Lending Technologies. Together, we offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions.
A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, Capital Impact has disbursed more than $2.5 billion since 1982 to create access to critical social services, grow entrepreneurs, and create quality jobs. Capital Impact’s leadership in delivering financial and social impact has resulted in the organization being rated by S&P Global and recognized by Aeris for its performance.
Headquartered in Arlington, VA, Capital Impact Partners operates nationally, with local teams in Austin, TX, Detroit, MI, New York, NY, and Oakland, CA.
CDC Small Business Finance is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve. The nation’s leading mission-based small business lender CDC delivers small business and commercial real estate loans paired with small business owner assistance to bolster entrepreneurship, economic development, and job creation.
CDC offers numerous financing products including the Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 commercial real estate loans; SBA Community Advantage working capital loans; and the SBA Microloan. We also offer non-SBA products to provide more equitable access to credit for those who are unable to qualify for traditional financing. CDC also provides free business advising to support both potential borrowers to get loan-ready as well as to help existing small business borrowers grow and expand their business.
CDC is now part of the Momentus Capital family of organizations, including Capital Impact Partners and Ventures Lending Technologies. Together, we offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions.
Since 1978, CDC has provided more than $21.3 billion in funding to 12,000 borrowers and helped create and preserve over 214,000 jobs.
Ventures Lending Technologies (VLT) creates solutions that make lending easier. Its flagship product, Ventures+, is a loan processing and portfolio management tool that has become one of the top resources for small business lenders. VLT has been serving the lending community since 2004. Since then, VLT has consistently worked towards expanding its products and has grown to offer Payment Processing with Payments+ and a borrower portal with Apply+. It is the premier cloud-based lending platform that offers services throughout the entire lifecycle from a borrower prospect to loan payoff.
Capital Impact Partners joins forces with LIIF and Reinvestment Fund for a program sponsored by the Wells Fargo Foundation in support of community-rooted real estate developers and creating more affordable housing
June 29, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – Capital Impact Partners is partnering with Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) and Reinvestment Fund to expand its commitment to helping community-rooted real estate developers grow their businesses in an industry where they have long been underrepresented.
Through a $30 million grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation, the three mission-driven Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) will implement Growing Housing Developers (GHD), a new program that will connect housing developers of color with lower-cost, flexible capital, as well as the training, mentorship, and resources needed to grow and scale their businesses. GHD also seeks to increase the supply of homes that are affordable in several key regions across the country.
The much-needed support provided by this free program will have a significant impact on the developers’ ability to build, own, and operate high-quality affordable housing across the United States.
“This program confronts the systemic barriers that have kept developers of color behind many of their peers, barriers that have also limited the ability for communities of color to thrive,” said Ellis Carr, president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance. “We are proud to work with Wells Fargo, Low Income Investment Fund, Reinvestment Fund, and Raza Development Fund to help both the people who will develop projects in communities across the United States – and the community members who will further benefit from many of those same projects.”
“We want to increase racial equity in real estate development, ultimately creating a more inclusive housing ecosystem,” said Bill Daley, vice chairman of public affairs at Wells Fargo. “One stark reality is that people of color are significantly underfunded and underrepresented in the real estate industry. Through GHD, we can help strengthen diverse housing developers, enabling them to grow their businesses, and at the same time, offer communities more affordable options for renters and homeowners.”
Growing Housing Developers Cohort
The cohort will include 27 real estate developers, both nonprofit and for-profit. Capital Impact Partners, LIIF, and Reinvestment Fund will work with these developers, who are based out of California; Georgia; Texas; and the Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., metropolitan regions.
“Low Income Investment Fund is committed to addressing the institutional and structural racism that created the persistent inequities people of color grapple with by mobilizing capital to those historically excluded from wealth building opportunities,” said Kimberly Latimer-Nelligan, president of Low Income Investment Fund, which is headquartered in San Francisco. “In that commitment, we made it a priority to partner with organizations looking to make the same impact. We look forward to supporting this cohort as they build equitable and opportunity-rich communities.”
“Reinvestment Fund is acutely aware of the challenges that developers of color face in fair access to capital and wealth-building opportunities in the housing industry and has committed to examining and addressing the practices that have contributed to these disparities,” said Amanda High, the chief impact, development and innovation officer at Reinvestment Fund, which has offices in Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia. “We are delighted to partner with other capital providers through this program to not only support a cohort of diverse developers but spur systemic changes that will help more developers of color and their communities grow and thrive.”
Gina Merritt, Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures LLC, Washington, D.C.
Siree Morris, MCI Property Management and Construction, Newark, New Jersey
Cherie Ong, Good Places LLC, Atlanta
Logan O’Phelan, Holos Communities, Los Angeles
Kathy Payton, Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation, Houston
Kyle Rawlins, BIG Oakland, Oakland, California
Rob Richardson, IBF Development, Washington, D.C.
Cherene Sandidge, Sandidge Urban Group, Hercules, California
Yvonne Stennett, Community League of the Heights, New York City
Michael Thorpe, Mt. Vernon Manor CDC, Philadelphia
Lorraine Wilson-Drake, Wilson-Drake Development LLC, Philadelphia
The cohort will feature a monthly curriculum that includes:
Peer learning sessions
Advisory services
Dedicated mentorship
National and regional events to provide essential knowledge and networks to support business growth
The developers will also have access to enterprise-level grants that will fund investments in their infrastructure, staff, and other resources that will help them increase the capacity of their organizations, as well as $100 million that Capital Impact Partners, Low Income Investment Fund, and Reinvestment Fund have committed toward innovative financial products funding the affordable housing pipeline in focused geographic areas.
An Expanded Commitment
Programs like these are incredibly important given the gaps in representation for real estate developers of color, including:
Just 2 percent of real estate development companies are Black-led, according to Enterprise Community Partners.
Real estate firms led by people of color control only 1.5 percent of real estate assets that are under management, according to Enterprise.
Just 4.4 percent of commercial real estate professionals are Black, according to a 2013 survey by NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
Just 5 percent of the Urban Land Institute’s members are Black, according to a 2020 report.
Developers of color face multiple challenges and obstacles in their field not experienced as frequently by White peers when it comes to:
Business connections, family wealth, or the backing of a network of investors.
Access to development opportunities, or ‘a seat at the table’
Capital limitations that are exacerbated as traditional underwriting standards work against Black and Brown developers
Capacity
Market and ecosystem factors
The GHD program expands on each of the partners’ programming supporting developers of color to participate in real estate development in their regions.
Reinvestment Fund has financed investment vehicles in Philadelphia and Baltimore to support undercapitalized housing developers, particularly those historically underrepresented in development.
Through capital and commitment, Capital Impact Partners helps people build communities of opportunity that break barriers to success. We work to champion key issues of equity and social and economic justice by deploying mission-driven financing, capacity-building programs, and impact investing opportunities.A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, Capital Impact has disbursed more than $2.5 billion since 1982. In 2020, Capital Impact launched a new enterprise with CDC Small Business Finance under one leadership team and national strategy to reinvent traditional and mainstream financial systems. Our goal is to ensure these systems equitably serve communities of color to drive community-led solutions that support economic mobility and wealth creation.Our leadership in delivering financial and social impact has resulted in Capital Impact being rated by S&P Global and recognized by Aeris for our performance. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, Capital Impact Partners operates nationally, with local offices in Austin, TX, Detroit, MI, New York, NY, and Oakland, CA.Learn more at www.capitalimpact.org and investedincommunities.org.
About Low Income Investment Fund
Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) is a national community development financial institution (CDFI), headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., that invests in communities of opportunity, equity and well-being. As a CDFI, LIIF supports projects that have high social value but lack access to traditional financial institutions. Since 1984, LIIF has deployed more than $2.7 billion to serve more than two million people in communities across the country from its five offices. An S&P-rated organization, LIIF funds healthy communities by providing innovative capital solutions. Learn more at liifund.org.
About Reinvestment Fund
Reinvestment Fund is a mission-driven financial institution committed to making communities work for all people. We bring financial and analytical tools to partnerships that work to ensure that everyone has access to essential opportunities: affordable places to live, access to nutritious food and health care, schools where their children can flourish, and strong, local businesses that support jobs. We use data to understand markets, communities, and impediments to opportunity—and how investment and policy decisions can have the most powerful impact. Since our inception in 1985, Reinvestment Fund has provided over $2.7 billion in financing to strengthen neighborhoods, scale social enterprises, and build resilient communities. Learn more at reinvestment.com.
The first publicly available, searchable resource of impact investing fund managers zeroes in on some of the industry’s most impactful managers.
May 18, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – For the fifth straight year, Capital Impact Partners has been selected for the ImpactAssets 50 – a free, annual database for impact investors, family offices, corporate and family foundations, and institutional investors that features a diversified listing of private capital fund managers delivering social and environmental impact as well as financial returns.
Capital Impact, a leading mission-driven Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), began offering its Capital Impact Investment Notes in 2017. The Investment Notes allow retail and institutional investors the opportunity to invest in the organization’s nationwide efforts to create social impact for disinvested communities.
The NonProfit Times selects Capital Impact Partners as #8 medium-sized nonprofit, #23 overall
May 18, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – For the second straight year, Capital Impact Partners has been selected as one of the 50 Best Nonprofits To Work For by The NonProfit Times, the leading publication for nonprofit managers.
In these national rankings, Capital Impact was #8 in the medium-sized category (organizations with 50-249 employees) and #23 overall.
Program is sponsored by a grant from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund and will support real estate developers of color focused on bringing more affordable housing to the Washington metropolitan region.
April 28, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – Today, Capital Impact Partners announced the inaugural class of its Housing Equity Accelerator Fellowship. The group consists of 15 of the region’s emerging real estate developers of color.
The goals of this new program, funded by a grant of more than $5 million from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, include increasing the number of real estate developers of color in an industry where they are under-represented, and helping to grow the affordable housing stock in this region.
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