Pacific Northwest USA via Calvert Foundation CIN
Loan
Raises funds for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in both the US and around the world
For millions of disadvantaged people in the U.S. and internationally, the door to financial opportunity is closed. Since 1995, Calvert Foundation has been working to open that door and let people in. Calvert Foundation is a nonprofit that has pioneered a new type of investing through our Community Investment Note that delivers a social and financial return. We make it possible for everyday people to invest in organizations around the world that empower people living in low-income communities.
The Note was the first retail impact investment with a global reach available to non-accredited investors, and through our new Women INvesting in Women INitiative (WIN-WIN), Calvert Foundation is the first organization to offer a retail impact investment product with a gender lens. We believe in giving a hand-up and enabling people to lift themselves out of poverty.
Summary
Calvert Foundation gives investors the opportunity to support community development groups building affordable housing, creating jobs and small businesses, and financing community facilities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Social Impact
Calvert Foundation has great partners that are actively working to provide affordable housing, jobs, and finance small businesses and community facilities in low-income communities throughout the Pacific Northwestern region. These groups have financed child care centers, job/workforce training programs, drug prevention facilities, low-income housing, farms, and many small businesses and social enterprises. We encourage you to learn more about the groups we support.
Impact Example
At age 50, Joan F. faced unexpected health concerns that severely impacted her ability to work. With over a decade of experience as a paralegal, she suddenly found herself exhausted most of the time, facing almost certain unemployment, and the specter of homelessness lurking just around the corner. With a lot of hard work and support from Central City Concern (CCC), she was able to create a new career that leveraged existing skills and accommodated her medical challenges. She realized that a career in medical transcription would allow her to work from home. A call to CCC's West Portland One Stop (WPOS) job resource center confirmed that they could assist her in embarking on a new career. Her WPOS case manager helped her access vocational classes at a community college, paid for in part by the WPOS.
After graduation, she continued working with her case manager to identify potential employers, develop a resume showcasing her experience, and to hone her interview skills. The first transcription company she called offered her an apprenticeship lasting nine months (paid for in part by the state of Oregon's Vocational Rehab program that assists individuals with disabilities find employment; VocRehab is one of the many WPOS on-site partners). While apprenticing, Joan secured housing at CCC's Butte building, bought a computer, and installed a phone line to connect to the internet. After almost three years of hard work, she was finally able to embark on her new career with a thirty second commute! She has been working from home now for over a year and when she gets tired, she can stop and take a nap. It's such an amazing feeling, Joan said, knowing that I can take care of myself, pay my own way and even give back to the community by working and paying taxes.
