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Investing to Empower People and Communities

SCF invests in mission-aligned projects and organizations that strive to create more inclusive and equitable communities

Investing to Empower People and Communities

SCF invests in mission-aligned projects and organizations that strive to create more inclusive and equitable communities

Grameen America Inc.

SCF invested $350,000 in the Grameen America Social Business Fund (GASBF), Grameen’s first microloan fund created to significantly expand the provision of group loans to low income, female small business owners across the U.S.

In GASBF’s first two years, SCF’s capital has funded over 700 loans worth over $2M, thus generating loans worth nearly six times its investment.

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BCL of Texas

SCF invested $350,000 to help BCL launch and grow its Diversity Loan Fund. This fund lends to “growth businesses” operated by underserved groups—women and minorities. This fund offers borrowers flexible underwriting standards so these entrepreneurs can grow their small business located in Texas. SCF’s funds target to serve earlier-stage businesses to ensure that start-up businesses have the opportunity to grow, despite limited available capital for these borrowers in the market.

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Finca Haiti

SCF invested $37,000 to provide microfinance loans to small businesses to support Haiti’s post-2010 earthquake recovery efforts and to address its status as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Loans were issued to individual women entrepreneurs or uniquely to “village banking groups” of up to a dozen women whose loans are tied together. Given Finca Haiti’s average loan sizes of $170, it is estimated that SCF’s capital funded over 215 loans.

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Sustainable Communities Fund

SCF began its operations as a foundation in 2011. It was born out of a mission-centered economic development company, National New Markets Fund.
SCF operates as a revolving investment fund to achieve our poverty alleviation mission. Primarily we support financial inclusion strategies that are seeking to build more equitable access to capital resources for underserved and low-income communities… Read More

Mission & Investment Focus

SCF’s mission is to alleviate poverty by supporting financial, economic and social inclusion strategies that empower low-income people and strengthen communities.

Alleviate Poverty

Financial Inclusion

Business Development

Affordable Housing

Our Unique Priorities

100%
Social Impact

We strive to activate 100% of our assets for social good

Innovation
Capital

We seek to fund unique and new models that address poverty

CDFI
Certified

We received certification in 2019 and focus on investing in CDFIs

Technical
Assistance

We offer investees needed assistance and resources to succeed

Success Stories

The stories below represent the end-user beneficiaries of SCF’s capital at the organizations we fund.

Harvey Small Business Recovery Fund

Rising from the Floodwaters

In 2017, Chef Yolanda Henry experienced the devastating force of Hurricane Harvey on her Houston-based business of 15 years—Nuksy’s Fine Catering. Storm flooding destroyed her equipment, inventory and the building’s structure and forced her to stop operations. With LiftFund’s Harvey Small Business Recovery Fund support—offering rapid-response loans with no-interest, 4-month payment forgiveness, and other critical pro-borrower loan features—Chef Yolonda was able to move forward. She relocated her business to a larger venue downtown, expanded it to offer additional services and flexible rental event space, and had plans to hire five more staff members. Only two years after the loan, Chef Yolonda and her growing team are busier than ever, catering larger events and expanding to serve new corporate and government clients. Read More...
Native American Bank (NAB)

Strengthen Native Communities

SCF’s funds were used in a $3.7M construction loan by NAB to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. This facility greatly expanded community resources to the Red Lake Reservation and surrounding community in Northern Minnesota. The project expands an existing grocery store, increasing access to healthy fresh foods (i.e. produce, dairy, meat) and other grocery options. Efficiency upgrades provide substantial long-term energy savings. The facility also has a deli, bakery, coffee shop, laundromat, and an automotive center. This facility’s retail eliminates a 60 mile+ round-trip drive to off-reservation competitor businesses. This project created 45 construction jobs, 20 new permanent jobs, and retains 30 permanent grocery jobs.The Native American Financial Officers Association (NAFOA) awarded Red Lake the 2019 Small Deal of the Year Award. Read More...
FAHE: Community Loan Fund

A Lifeline for Miners

In summer of 2018, over a thousand miners were suddenly laid off and their last paychecks bounced when Blackjewel LLC declared bankruptcy and shuttered. This impacted miners in three of Fahe’s service states (KY, VA, WV) leaving them jobless and many with overdrawn bank accounts. Fahe acted quickly to finance a revolving line of credit with Redbud Financial Alternatives, a local-serving CDFI based in Hazard, KY. Redbud established the Blackjewel Response Loan Program to offer low-interest loans with no interest accrual for 3 months, for 25 families to cover living expenses, education and employment retraining. In a time of crisis, this rapid-response program was able to fill the gaps that local banks weren’t able to and to support and stabilize high-risk families living in a region of the country where the highest economic and social disparities exist. Read More...
Grameen America Inc.

Herlinda’s Ice Cream Dream

Having moved to Indianapolis from Mexico in 2004 and needing an income for her family, Herlinda began making ice cream in her kitchen and serving customers in her living room. Her growing business lacked the tools and space to grow, so she took out her first Grameen microloan of $1,000 in 2014, after being turned away by banks. She used the funds to rent a storefront. Herlinda has now taken out three loans from Grameen, totaling $3,500, to continue to expand her business. She used her most recent loan to purchase a new refrigerator and a juice maker to expand inventory and products offered. Now, her business is thriving and supports six employees. With these microloans, Herlinda has not only built a successful ice cream shop that brings in around $3,000 a week, but she can now support her family and fund her three children’s education and enjoy a higher quality of life. Read More...
Finca Haiti

A Crafty Way to Rebuild

SCF’s investment supported Haiti’s post-2010 earthquake recovery efforts by helping to rebuild small businesses in one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Nacis is the owner of a handicraft shop and a member of the artisan cooperative that sells it’s goods there. Nacis’ early loans from Finca Haiti allowed her to rent and operate a shop of her own rather than having to sell her goods to other shop owners, allowing artisans to receive more direct profits from sales. Nacis’ third micro-loan of $25,000 goudes ($625 USD) was to purchase the raw materials for ongoing handicraft production. Nacis’ daughters and son, as well as extended family members, are also contributors and beneficiaries of the store (daughters are artisans and business managers; son-in-law is a sales rep., etc.). Thus, the Finca loans’ financial effects are felt far beyond Nacis’ own pocketbook. Read More...
Self Help: Runway Project Oakland

Soaring with Runway Project

April didn’t dream of being an entrepreneur, but after developing severe scoliosis and having a past conviction (though expunged) she became one out of necessity. April started Piikup, a business-to-business delivery service targeting food and retail businesses in the San Francisco East Bay I-80 corridor. April enrolled in Uptima Bootcamp in May 2015, piloted her businesses while enrolled, and graduated in July 2016. Upon starting operations, April needed delivery vans to enhance her business. She struggled to secure a loan from traditional banks given her credit history. Runway Project Oakland, a business incubator program for African Americans, issued April a $20,000 loan to buy her first van. Loans use flexible underwriting, are collateral-free and have interest-only payments during startup. Runway also provided advisory and mentoring services to assist April with emerging business challenges. Piikup won the 2017 Social Changemaker award at the Oakland Indie Awards. Read More...

Investee Testimonials

SHFCU- Runway Project Oakland

"We were impressed with how quickly SCF was able to provide us with the funds we needed for our pilot lending program. Our ability to provide these early-stage African American entrepreneurs with access to capital is central to our mission of reducing the racial wealth gap and creating economic opportunity for all."

David Gough CFO, Grameen

"As an investor in Grameen’s first investment fund, SCF continues to be a strong partner by providing us with valuable information, resources, and relationships in order to support us in expanding our programs to serve low-income women entrepreneurs."

Janie Barerra, President & CEO, LiftFund

"For a decade, SCF has shown that it is willing to take risks with us by supporting new higher risk lending activities and programs. Their patient capital has been responsive to our changing needs and direction over time and--they have been true partners to us."

Mercy Corps North West

“As a small loan fund operator, MCNW views SCF as an excellent partner. SCF has provided us with the flexible capital we needed. They have also been patient as we made needed adjustments to our loan products in order to better address the needs of the most underserved.”