The Project
Pacific Community Ventures (PCV), a nonprofit impact investor and community development financial institution (CDFI), developed a new guide for place-based funding that brings together private and public investment, grant support, and community partnerships to spur racial equity and community wealth-building. The guide helps CDFIs and impact investors replicate PCV’s Oakland Restorative Loan Fund, a $2.5 million, no fee, low-interest, small business loan fund focused on the lowest income areas in Oakland, particularly those with a large percentage of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) residing there. The guidebook pools knowledge and takeaways from PCV’s integrated model and partnership experience to serve as a roadmap for institutions looking to advance racial justice through social finance.
Value and Outcomes
PCV’s project is designed to activate catalytic capital for BIPOC entrepreneurs, who have historically faced barriers to financing. It draws from a PCV strategy that began as intensive COVID-19 relief and has transitioned to the longer-term work of recovery—a critical approach in communities affected by decades of discrimination and disinvestment.
For more information on Pacific Community Ventures, visit their website.