Investing In Communities

Looking to invest in equitable communities? We’re here to help. 

NFF can activate your investments and contributions – including tax-deductible donations, Donor Advised Fund gifts and recoverable grants, impact loans, and program-related investments – to support high-impact lending. In addition, NFF currently partners with 12 financial institutions whose investment in NFF gives them credit toward the requirements of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).  

Contact us to discuss how NFF's team of fund management experts can put your investment to work advancing racial equity in funding at [email protected].

NFF is a nonprofit lender, consultant, and advocate working to improve the flow of money to community-centered organizations that have historically been denied it: those led by and serving people of color. 

In response to urgent funding needs that were magnified by the pandemic, we rapidly deployed $100 million in zero-interest loans through special loan funds, with 96 percent going to organizations led by women or people of color, and 84 percent to organizations serving low-income populations. To our knowledge, this was the most of any CDFI, and was accompanied by webinars and online resources for nonprofits on how to apply for PPP and manage through the pandemic. 

Here are some of the ways we can put your dollars to work 

Program Related Investments: 

• NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund: funded by the Ford Foundation, The Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation, The New York Community Trust, Altman Foundation, SeaChange Capital Partners (through the New York Pooled PRI Fund), and Trinity Church Wall Street. $37 million was deployed to 45 organizations over a seven-month period in 2020, primarily used for working capital to help organizations survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. NFF staff provided approximately 200 hours of technical assistance to borrowers.  
• Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund: funded by the Aviv Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation, Maimonides Fund, the Paul E. Singer Foundation, and the Wilf Family Foundation, all in partnership with Jewish Federations of North America. $44.8 million in loans was deployed to 85 Jewish organizations – each grantee of an investor – between 2020-2021.

Supporting Community Control of Assets:

• Building Equitable Assets for Communities and Nonprofits (BEACoN) is NFF’s strategy to support nonprofits and mission-aligned developers creating community assets at all stages of development, whether planning, acquisition, construction, or renovation. NFF’s capital and technical assistance help institutions and other local groups invest in community-owned real estate – such as land, affordable housing, and facilities – to achieve community goals and build local wealth and power.

Special Loan Funds: 

• Capital Advancing Racial Equity Fund: funded by Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Program and the The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. $8.3 million was deployed to 46 organizations led by and serving people of color and others severely impacted by COVID-19 in New York, the Bay Area, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. Loans are primarily being used for working capital, program expansion, and predevelopment purposes. NFF provided approximately 235 hours of technical assistance to 41 organizations. 

• Metro Denver Nonprofit Loan Fund: funded by Community First Foundation, Rose Community Foundation, and The Denver Foundation. Additional funding of $200,000 was secured from the Colorado Nonprofit Loan Fund and the City and County of Denver has provided an additional $250,000 for the third round of funding. $3.2 million was deployed 19 organization from 2021- 2023 to support the recovery and sustainability of the Metro Denver nonprofit ecosystem with technical assistance and no-interest loans, prioritizing organizations led-by and/or serving people of color. NFF provided approximately 100 hours of technical assistance.

• Hilton Foundation Bridge Loan Fund: funded by Hilton Foundation. $9 million bridge fund supporting small non-profit Hilton Foundation grantee and subgrantee organizations working in a variety of program areas, including foster youth, early childhood, homelessness, and opportunity youth. NFF also provides technical assistance as part of the Fund. 
• Trinity Church Wall Street Bridge Loan Fund: funded by Trinity Church Wall Street. $8 million was deployed to 15 organizations that experienced financial challenges and revenue or cash payment delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic. NFF provided technical assistance to 19 organizations as part of the Fund.  
• Accelerating Permanent Supportive Housing Fund (APSH): funded by the California Community Foundation (CCF), the Weingart Foundation, and UniHealth Foundation; additional grants provided by CCF, CIT Bank, and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) support the project. This $16 million fund provides flexible financing to support developers’ critical work increasing the number of projects in development. 

General Operating Support Grants:  

• NFF transformed a $375,000 grant from the Fidelity Charitable Trustees’ Initiative for COVID-19 and a gift from an anonymous donor into flexible capital for COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts. We gave 31 grants to nonprofits using trust-based philanthropy principles like simplified application processes and open communication, and focusing on nonprofits led by people of color. 

Reimagining how money meets mission 

• Communities that control their own resources can best determine their own path forward. 
• Supporting community-centered organizations and leaders of color can begin to correct a legacy of racist, systemic underfunding of these vital organizations, and grow community financial strength. 
• We work with funders, investors, and financial institutions to support leaders who know the challenges their communities face, have the greatest stake and accountability in solving them, and have the clearest insights about how to do so. 

Putting your money to work in ways that advance racial equity 

• We bring financial investment to the fight for economic and social justice by financing community-centered projects and organizations. 
• We enter partnerships and co-design trust-based initiatives to bring resources, financial management, and planning to organizations based on community-identified needs. 
• We help philanthropic funders shift their funding practices to better fund nonprofits’ full costs and offer the flexible, operating dollars nonprofits need to sustain and adapt their community work. 

Evolving how we work 

We acknowledge that NFF has been part of inequitable funding systems and has been in a position of privilege having been white-led for our first 40 years. 

We are transforming how we work to share that privilege more intentionally, to use our position to advocate for changing funding practices to become more equitable, and to actively support grassroots organizations in championing their own needs.  

A pioneer US Community Development Financial Institution, NFF manages a portfolio of over $381 million. Since 1980, we have provided over $1.2 billion in financing and access to additional capital in support of over $4 billion in projects for thousands of organizations nationwide. We have the highest possible impact performance rating of four stars from Aeris®, a Policy Plus distinction, and an A+ financial strength and performance rating.