RESOURCES
Managing a successful loan fund is no small task. We welcome you to our growing library of resources for community and institutional foundations - whether you're considering a loan fund, re-evaluating your loan fund, or looking for innovative ideas from the field.
Interviews With Thought Leaders
Elizabeth Schott and Sarah Bennett
Sarah Bennett of Community Capital Advisors interviews Elizabeth Schott, CEO of Accessity (formerly Accion), a CDFI serving small businesses in Southern California. They explore topics such as what the small business community needs most during COVID, how CDFIs are stepping up to meet those needs, and how foundations can best partner with CDFIs like Accessity. Clink on the links below to watch each clip:
Clip 1: CDFIs as our Economic First Responders
Clip 2: How CDFIs are Supporting Small Businesses through COVID
Clip 3: Overview of the CDFI Industry and How Foundations Can Partner
Clip 4: Investing in CDFIs during COVID: Due Diligence & Identifying Needs
Clip 5: Impacting Small Businesses and Creating a Ripple Effect during COVID
Ra'Shaud Haines and Marc Rand
Ra’Shaud Haines, Community Investment Fund Manager of Foundation for Louisiana, discusses lending to entrepreneurs of color with Marc Rand, Managing Partner of Community Capital Advisors. Their conversation starts off with how race and class have affected communities of color, especially entrepreneurs, and why it is so important to support people of color through traditional banking. Furthermore, they discuss what lenders should consider when lending to entrepreneurs, and give their thoughts on the lack of banks that are owned and operated by people of color.
Clip 1: The Importance of Lending to Entrepreneurs of Color
Clip 2: How Lending to People of Color Promotes Community Development & Small Businesses
Clip 3: Lending to People of Color during COVID, Caring for Women, & Stories of Success
Reggie Knox and Marc Rand
Reggie Knox, Executive Director of California FarmLink, discusses investing in farmers with Marc Rand. They talk about how to support small farmers, different policies that affect them, and what resilience looks like in this community. They also discuss racism faced by farmers of color, and how to avoid these pitfalls.
Clip 1: Land Financing for Farmers
Clip 2: Supporting Food Enterprises through Finance during COVID
Susan Farrar and Marc Rand
Susan Farrar, Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County (CFSCC), discusses impact investing with Marc Rand. Their conversation covers her 20 year tenure at CFSCC, how the foundation got into impact investing over time, engaging stakeholders across board, donors, and executive staff leadership in the process. Today, the foundation currently manages $136 million portfolio through 625 funds, including $12.6 million in annual grantmaking - with the majority coming from donor advised funds.
Clip 1: How a Community Foundation Started Impact Investing
Clip 2: How to Manage and Impact Investing Portfolio
