Impact Investments at RWJF

It’s wonderful to see the positive impact community development credit unions (CDCUs) have on the neighborhoods and residents they serve!  CDCUs are vital organizations that provide financing in places historically overlooked by the traditional finance sector. In 2022, RWJF provided a $4M guarantee to Inclusiv, enhancing its ability to provide capital to CDCUs working in communities of color and those with low incomes.  We’re happy to support this important work. 

😎 We’re going, going… back, back… to Cali, Cali! 🌴🌊 I guess my skepticism was misplaced because #SOCAP24 called, and “WE’RE IN!” ImpactAlpha +Yuri Vaysgant’s documentary short about my #JourneyInImpact as the cofounder of ACTIVEST Partners in Equity and SRF Impact while also surviving #ALS will premiere at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in Downtown San Francisco on October 29th. Check out the trailer, and if you’re heading to #SOCAP, check out the premiere! 🤜🏾🤛🏼 to David Bank, Zuleyma Bebell and Kimberlee Cornett for continuing to believe that my story is one worth telling. ❤️ 🙏🏾s and 🫶🏾s to all my Co's who continue to inspire me every day with their passion and commitment to impact! Micah Gilmer Talib Graves-Manns Wilson Lester Dorian Burton Brittany Bennett Weston Ellen Ward Homero Radway Lee Coker Charles Rush Gilberto Cabrera Martin Eakes and Edna Wallace … Love y'all! #impactinvesting #esginvesting #socialentrepreneurship #investing SOCAP Global #impinv #GOODTRBL

Tune in Sept 17 to hear our Lead Impact Investment Officer Zoila Jennings talk to experts from The Bridgespan Group, Surge Institute, and Greater Share about how funders can support leaders with lived experience in the communities they serve.     Zoila led the charge on RWJF’s recent grants to a cohort of community development organizations undergoing leadership transitions and will be sharing key insights from her efforts in this webinar.    Register today! https://lnkd.in/eD2GwZKm 

For many Indigenous communities, investment and other forms of public- and private-sector funding are crucial for generating economic opportunity, reducing health disparities, and helping build thriving communities.  The Mountain Plains Regional Native CDFI Coalition comprises nine community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and one corporation that all work together to attract capital for Native-led community development projects on tribal lands. By sharing solutions, successes, and lessons with one another, the Coalition creates a regional support network that can improve health and wellbeing for present and future generations.  Our team invested $5M in the Coalition to support its work across the Great Plains.   Curious to learn more about the Coalition members? They are: ⬇️ ✔️Akiptan, Inc  ✔️Black Hills Community Loan Fund  ✔️Four Bands Community Fund   ✔️Montana Native Growth Fund   ✔️Wind River Development Fund  ✔️Native American Community Development Corporation Financial Services  ✔️Plenty Doors Community Development Corporation   ✔️Native American Development Corporation   ✔️People's Partner for Community Development  ✔️Mountain Plains Community Development Corporation

Access to safe, clean drinking water is a human right. But much of the water infrastructure across the U.S. has been in use for decades longer than originally intended, making millions of people’s tap water unsafe to use.  So, what can we do about it?  In a new article from ImpactAlpha, Amy Cortese dives into insights from water expert and RWJF consultant Radhika Fox on the issue and discusses how impact investing tools can help move crucial water infrastructure improvement projects forward.   https://lnkd.in/gcWySdT9  

When employees have financial ownership of the places they work, it can be a win-win. Employees can build wealth and feel more invested in a company's success while employers improve job quality and retain workers.     Our investees at the Apis & Heritage Legacy Fund I (A&H), developed by Apis & Heritage Capital Partners, transition private companies to employee-owned businesses. They’re making a difference for workers across the country, helping them build wealth and lasting success. Learn more about our $4M investment here: https://rwjf.ws/4gge2sT     #LaborDay #Workers #HealthEquity 

Greater Newark Enterprises Corporation (GNEC) provides invaluable support to entrepreneurs through loans, coaching, and consulting services, helping to increase economic opportunity across Newark, New Jersey.  But due to the small size and specialization of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) like GNEC, these types of organizations are often overlooked by big funders. To help support the CDFIs doing this important work, RWJF invested $4 million in the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to create the New Jersey CDFI Capital Growth Fund. This innovative program will help attract investors and ensure capital for housing, infrastructure, and more reaches the communities that need it most.  Learn more about the importance of investing in CDFIs: https://lnkd.in/eKeVknha

Tackling a nationwide issue like the affordable housing crisis requires large swaths of funding to get locally led projects off the ground. We’re excited to see the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announce hundreds of millions of federal dollars available to help communities do so.  Yet, many of the places that would benefit most from available federal funding often don’t have the staffing capacity, technical expertise, or financial capability to apply. Funders and investors are well equipped to support organizations like Enterprise Community Partners, who go into communities and give them the technical assistance they need to unlock crucial dollars. Our team at RWJF has been working with Enterprise since 2021, funding them to help municipalities apply for the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program to drive community development and housing projects forward. To date, with technical assistance from Enterprise, the cities of Toledo, OH; Oakland, CA; and Birmingham, AL, unlocked $96 million to create and retain jobs, increase affordable housing, and advance equity by supporting investments in neighborhoods of color.  Ensuring communities that could greatly benefit from these federal funds to apply for them is crucial if we are to create a healthier housing system for all. And that starts with investment.  https://lnkd.in/eN7YRPkw 

Access to safe housing is a basic human need. But with the housing affordability crisis and the unprecedented deterioration of older homes, millions of people—particularly those of color and those with low incomes —live in substandard housing that they either rent or own, risking their health and wellbeing.    To better understand the scope of this issue and what we can do to address it, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, supported by RWJF, convened experts to conduct an in-depth review of research on housing deterioration and the challenges in implementing home repair programs.      What they learned: home repair policies and programs can improve physical, mental, and financial health.    Read the new white paper for a deeper dive: https://lnkd.in/e57UddAN  

Looking forward to this week's Agents of Impact call with RWJF consultant Radhika Fox! Tune in to the conversation on 8/29 at 1 p.m. ET to learn about "Investing behind federal funding for water quality, community health and climate resilience."