New Loan Closings: I Did Something Good Today Foundation, Olive Support Services, Sanctuary of Hope, Sure We Can, and YEAH!

$10,000 bridge loan (March 2022) 

The I Did Something Good Today Foundation (IDSGT) is a community-based nonprofit founded in 2018 to address the needs of Los Angeles County seniors facing social isolation.  IDSGT meets the immediate needs of low-income individuals and older adults in LA County by helping them navigate social service systems, personal finances, and housing. In addition, IDSGT offers a senior chat line and a wellness check phone call program to combat the social isolation many older adults experience. 

Since its founding, IDSGT has achieved incredible impact: it has taken over 44,000 calls on its chat line, made over 5,500 deliveries of food and basic necessities, and logged over 25,000 volunteer hours. Financed through NFF’s CARE Fund, which offers 0% interest loans to community-centered nonprofits led by people of color, this loan will provide IDSGT with approximately a year of operating cash flow, enough liquidity to overcome the paralyzing impact of the pandemic and allow the Foundation to continue to provide essential services for seniors. 

$250,000 bridge loan (March 2022) 

Olive Support Services (OSS) provides critical family support and social services to people living across Southern California’s Antelope Valley. The nonprofit’s services include parenting classes, domestic violence treatment services, life coaching, job readiness classes, and a youth tutoring and mentorship program. In addition to family programming, OSS works with recently incarcerated individuals by teaching job readiness and life skills in efforts to reduce recidivism. Specifically seeking out Antelope Valley households who identify as low-income and have limited access to social services, the organization serves more than 400 people each year. 

COVID-19 stay-at-home orders increased domestic violence across the country. At the same time that many survivors were stuck at home with their abusers, providers of shelter and safe services were required to cut back capacity to comply with social distancing guidelines.  In response, LA County provided thousands of emergency housing vouchers for survivors of DV and their children. However, many landlords were reluctant to accept these vouchers, tightening the supply of housing available to survivors.  

In response to this unmet need, Olive planned to purchase a house that it can convert into supportive housing for domestic violence survivors with rental vouchers. Financed through NFF’s CARE Fund, which offers 0% interest loans to community-centered nonprofits led by people of color, this loan will help Olive Support Services make this down payment – and continue to provide compassionate care to survivors. 

$150,000 bridge loan (March 2022) 

Sanctuary of Hope (SOH)’s mission is to provide a caring and multi-cultural approach to services that will help young people become self-sufficient and lead prosperous lives. This Black-led, community-based organization incorporates trauma-informed care into its model by creating an environment where long-term relationships with youth can flourish. With 100% of SOH’s clients qualifying as low-income, SOH addresses intergenerational poverty by promoting the value of higher education and housing stabilization to youth ages 16-25 who are child welfare or juvenile justice-involved, or who are experiencing housing and economic insecurity. SOH’s youth programs include short-term housing, academic counseling, and peer mentorship. 

While SOH has multiple funding sources, it is experiencing delays in payments of government grants and contracts. This bridge loan will help to cover delays in contract payments and reimbursements while SOH waits for that funding to arrive. Smoothing over this cash flow issue will help them maintain and grow programs that build models of self-reliance for youth and young adults.

$250,000 bridge loan (March 2022) 

Sure We Can (SWC) is a nonprofit recycling center, community space, and sustainability hub in Brooklyn, New York where canners – people who collect cans and bottles from streets to make a living – come together with students and neighbors through recycling, composting, gardening, and arts. Founded by canners for canners, SWC addresses the economic, emotional, educational, and language barriers that limit canners’ full participation in society.  

New York City’s 1983 “Bottle Bill” allows people to generate a modest income by collecting and redeeming discarded cans and bottles. Canning is physically demanding, logistically complex, and often emotionally demeaning, yet for many non-English speaking immigrants and unhoused neighbors, it is the only available source of income. SWC helps canners make a living by redeeming returnable cans and paying these New Yorkers the full $0.05 refund per container, as required by law, and up to 20-25% added value for sorted containers, which is not required by law. In addition, SWC’s gardening, composting, and art initiatives facilitate civic engagement and spur economic growth by creating opportunities for canners and community members to gather.   

When canners deposit cans and bottles at SWC, the nonprofit pays them immediately. However, SWC occasionally experiences reimbursement delays from distributors, causing cash flow challenges for operations. Financed through NFF’s zero-interest CARE Fund, this loan will help SWC smooth over this cash flow issue, ensuring that it has enough money available to pay rent, staff salaries, and compensate the canners who need that money most.  As SWC continues to grow with more than 400 canners now in its community – and millions of cans and bottles recovered each year – it will promote social inclusion, environmental awareness, and economic empowerment. 

$150,000 bridge loan (March 2022) 

Youth Empowerment For Advancement Hangout (YEAH) is a Black-led, community-based nonprofit that works with young people in West and Southwest Philadelphia who have been impacted by violence. YEAH’s mission is to create safe and authentic hangout spaces by providing culturally relevant engagement and implementing teen-led interventions that address the root causes of violence. By acknowledging teens as the experts in their own lives, YEAH works to interrupt the cycle of youth violence through engaging youth as leaders in resolving conflict, building community, and promoting economic opportunities. 

Since YEAH’s programs have grown significantly in a brief amount of time, they need to hire more staff. Offered through NFF’s zero-interest CARE Fund, this loan will allow YEAH to make necessary hires while it awaits expected grant funding – ensuring that the organization can grow sustainably and serve even more young people with its programs. With support from this financing, YEAH can continue engaging Black teens as leaders capable of building safer communities.  

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