March Loan Closings: Beloved Community, Churches United for Fair Housing, Council of Peoples Organization, Harbor Care Foundation, Horizon Recuperative Care, Sierra House

$500,000 bridge loan (February 2024)

Beloved Community (Beloved) is a Black, queer, and woman-led New Orleans-based national nonprofit that offers consulting services and custom coaching to individuals and organizations committed to advancing their racial and economic equity journeys. Since starting with a single founder in 2019, Beloved has grown into an organization with a $7 million operating budget and almost 30 employees. In this short time, they built a best-in-class suite of web-based DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) products and advance equity through research, programming, and leadership coaching. Beloved served about 500 people from schools, nonprofits, and corporations in 2022.

Supported by the Hilton Foundation, this zero-interest $500,000 bridge loan will serve as working capital for Beloved while they navigate delays in grant reimbursements, which is a common experience of many nonprofits. With this loan, the organization can continue investing in DEI programs that support even more clients’ equity journeys.

Most people familiar with our work know about our communities of practice and Equity Audit tools like Awa by Beloved. Within our Data, Research, Impact, and Policy (DRIP) Center, we also lead a deep body of work on community-engaged research. We believe that research and knowledge production are both tools of power that have been weaponized against marginalized communities. Through methodologies like Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and Participatory Action Research (PAR), we train community members to identify their own research agendas, collect mixed methods data, co-analyze them, and co-disseminate their findings. Not only does our model compensate community members to learn transferable skills that remain in their community, but we also prepare them to bring their findings to local policy tables and impact broader change.

Our PAR researchers for NOLA CARES (Creating Access, Resources and Equity for Success) are Black and Latine women in frontline, early childhood education careers. Their analysis and advocacy for change in their sector rival any national think tank. This year we are pivoting in our YPAR work in New Orleans and Kansas City, where we intentionally recruit YPAR researchers from school communities that are deepening their Shared Voice & Shared Power practices. We believe that our community members can leverage a number of tools to advance local policy change faster than we can.

Rhonda Broussard, CEO & Founder, Beloved Community

$4 million bridge loan to an NYC Economic Development Corporation grant, $2.8 million mini-permanent loan (January 2024)

Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH) uses community organizing, youth engagement, and social services to create inclusive communities in North Brooklyn. CUFFH believes that housing is a human right, that housing justice is racial justice, and that all New Yorkers regardless of their income level, race or immigration status deserve to live in a home that is safe, affordable, and permanent. The organization partners with churches, nonprofits, schools, and activist groups to reach thousands of community members across New York City – and they serve over 6,000 families annually through weekly workshops, youth organizing, social services, job training, legal support, and more.

In early 2022, CUFFH identified a property in Brooklyn’s North Bushwick neighborhood that would provide them with the additional space needed to manage their growing programs, host other organizations, and allow them to remain in their neighborhood. A $500,000 acquisition loan from NFF in December 2022 helped CUFFH pay their deposit to the seller of the contract while due diligence of the site and building were performed.

With NFF's financing, in partnership with Leviticus Fund, CUFFH is now moving even closer to their goal of property ownership. Upon acquisition of the property, CUFFH plans to accelerate their programmatic efforts and is confident that the space will be used frequently for local community events and gatherings.

"CUFFH came to NFF for a bridge loan in order to help pay the deposit for the building we selected as our permanent headquarters. NFF took our vision without any hesitation or reservation. They did not act like a lender but acted like a friend. We're unconventional and not the type of organization that would be embraced by typical lending and banking. Our dreams are becoming a reality and that would not have been possible without NFF. This transition from vision to reality, from hope to achievement is happening today because of NFF’s investment in us and its faith in us."

Rob Solano, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Churches United for Fair Housing

Learn more about how CUFFH centers community, fights displacement, and achieves shared liberation.

$1.25 million acquisition loan and $750,000 bridge loan (February 2024)

Established in 2002, Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) serves 45,000 families and 270,000 individuals annually in New York City by providing free mental health services, older adult services, a Halal emergency food pantry, immigration legal services, and more. COPO’s services are targeted to meet the specific language and cultural needs of immigrants from South Asia (Pakistan and Bangladesh), Uzbekistan, Haiti, and Jamaica, as well as many coming from the Middle East. COPO is now the largest Muslim Arab South Asian (MASA) community center in New York City. 

NFF’s financing will allow COPO to acquire a permanent home for the long-term in the Brooklyn community it serves. The acquisition of this headquarters location will also provide additional programming space for COPO to continue serving its community for many more years to come. 

"Through this partnership with NFF, COPO was able to get our first home at 1814 Coney Island Avenue and stay in our neighborhood at 1075-1079 Coney Island Avenue, where we have been servicing the community for 22 years!"

Mohammad Razvi, CEO, Council of Peoples Organization

Learn more about COPO's work and their approach to community building.

$500,000 bridge loan (January 2024)

Harbor Care Foundation (HCF) is a nonprofit service provider for individuals in LA County experiencing homelessness post-hospitalization, also known as recuperative care. HCF helps patients heal, obtain benefits, and find permanent housing in a safe and nurturing residential care environment. With its 30-bed recuperative care facility in Mission Hills, CA, the organization serves over 300 clients annually by providing a place for them to stay and connecting them to vital services like case management and medical services. 

Many nonprofits receive government funding to provide their services but are paid after services are provided – and those payments are frequently delayed. Supported by Cedars-Sinai and the Hilton Foundation, this zero-interest bridge loan will help HCF expand its services to a new 23-bed facility in Lancaster, CA while waiting for late reimbursements from its CalAIM Community Supports contracts. CalAIM promises to make recuperative care more accessible, but as it represents a significant change for both health plans and recuperative care providers like HCF, payments to providers are often delayed. This financing will help HCF reach even more people across LA County in need during a critical time of transition. 

People experiencing homelessness often have lower life expectancies than people who are housed. Most homeless shelters cannot take in people who are recovering from illness and injury, but Harbor Care does. We are uniquely positioned to serve people without housing who have recently been released from the hospital to help them heal and achieve greater health and independence.

At our 30-bed facility in Mission Hills, CA, patients receive 24-hour care from our dedicated staff, including vital sign monitoring, medication tracking, and assistance with scheduling medical appointments. Made possible by our financing partnership with NFF, Harbor Care is excited to open a new 23-bed facility in Lancaster, CA, to serve more than 700 medically discharged homeless individuals annually, increasing our bed capacity by seventy-seven percent.

Todd Hacker, CFO and General Manager, Harbor Care Foundation

$500,000 bridge loan (December 2023)

Horizon Recuperative Care (Horizon) is a for-profit service provider that offers recuperative care for individuals in LA County experiencing homelessness post-hospitalization. Through behavioral health programs, housing assistance, case management, and more, Horizon has facilitated the transition to permanent housing for over 600 individuals annually, effectively breaking the cycle of homelessness for many in LA County. 

Many organizations receive government funding to provide their services but are paid after services are provided – and those payments are frequently delayed. Supported by Cedars Sinai and the Hilton Foundation, this zero-interest bridge loan will help Horizon expand its services to a new 78-bed facility in East Los Angeles, CA while waiting for late reimbursements from its CalAIM Community Supports contracts. CalAIM promises to make recuperative care more accessible, but as it represents a significant change for both health plans and recuperative care providers like Horizon, payments to providers are often delayed. This financing will help Horizon reach even more people across LA County in need during a critical time of transition. 

$150,000 term loan (February 2024)

Sierra House, a community-centered nonprofit in Newark, New Jersey, fosters independence for youth, low-to-moderate income families, and unhoused young adults in the Newark area through housing, education, and community services. Their CEO, Keely Freeman, grew up in Newark and is deeply connected to the community. Sierra House is purchasing land and newly developed properties, and renovating existing homes in the Greater Newark Area to make them available as quality affordable housing for Essex County residents who might not otherwise be able to afford housing in their neighborhoods.

This $150,000 loan from NFF reimbursed Sierra House for the soft costs associated with the construction of a two-family affordable housing property, including architectural renderings, environmental studies, as well as legal, accounting, and consultant costs. Learn more about Sierra House’s vital work to preserve and expand affordable housing across New Jersey.

Learn more about NFF’s loan products on the financing page of our website.