Impact
Our portfolio and broader work directly contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in both developed and emerging markets. We go beyond general portfolio alignment to the SDGs – our work has direct impact on 16 of the 17 individual goals. Learn more below.
The SDGs are 17 global goals that recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations (UN) Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our planet.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a powerful framework for investors looking to achieve impactful, long-term investment results. By investing in our Community Investment Note® or co-lending alongside us in a syndicated facility or small business recovery fund, investors and co-lenders gain access to our portfolio organizations working in a variety of impact sectors. Each of these sectors is aligned with the UN SDGs in different ways, and each create positive, measurable impact for communities in alignment with these global goals.
Click the "+" on the right side of each goal to view our impact metrics relevant to each goal. All data from FY 2023.
SDG Impact
In 2021, the ABC Fund provided a loan to Bio Amandes, a shea butter processor and exporter located north of Côte d’Ivoire. Bio Amandes is the country’s only industrial shea butter processor. All raw materials are locally sourced and provide a vital source of income to approximately 7,300 women in 60 different villages.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
At one point in her life, Dhammika and her two daughters survived on just the vegetables produced in her garden; today, she cultivates 3 acres of bananas and turkey berries in Puttlam district, western Sri Lanka. A microfinance loan from VisionFund International enabled Dhammika’s cultivation to survive an especially difficult dry season.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
Central City Concern staff are working on the front lines of this unprecedented public health crisis, delivering compassionate care to individuals who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
Lirio Montessori School is an innovative two-way Spanish immersion school in Minneapolis that serves native and non-native Spanish speaking students alike. As part of our borrower Wildflower’s ecosystem of micro-schools, Lirio Montessori is committed to providing empowering educational opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
Socak Katana is a cocoa cooperative based in Côte d’Ivoire that procures raw cocoa from smallholder farmers before processing it to sell to local and international buyers. Its mission is to improve the income levels and living conditions of the cocoa producers by helping them transition to an organized production system.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
Azure Source Capital mobilizes capital and technical expertise to expand water access for underserved communities in El Salvador. Above, a woman and two children draw water from a pipe that was financed with the help of Azure Source Capital.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
The Solar Energy Transformation (SET) Fund managed by SunFunder aims to increase access to capital for solar businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. With the help of the SET Fund, Daystar Power provides affordable solar power and energy efficient solutions to businesses in Nigeria.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
Sweet Beginnings uses the production of beelove™ – a line of honey-based products – to provide residents of the North Lawndale community who struggle to find gainful employment with job training. A loan from Benefit Chicago is currently being used by Sweet Beginnings to expand its job training program.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
Sustainable Living Partners LLC is an integrated real estate development platform that develops sustainable buildings capable of achieving zero net energy requirements at affordable prices. A loan from Greenline Ventures has enabled Sustainable Living Partners to build affordable multifamily housing units and create jobs in underserved communities.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
Microfinance
88% microfinance clients who are women
62.5 million active clients
94% clients who are low-income
In 2023, Self-Help Enterprises (SHE) proudly celebrated alongside nine families who participated in SHE’s Mutual Self-Help Housing program and completed the building of their own homes in Orosi, CA. SHE is a nationally recognized community development organization whose mission is to work together with low-income families to build and sustain healthy homes and communities in the San Joaquin Valley of California.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
Raul Urzua is just one of many people taking advantage of the solar boom by joining the fastest growing occupation in America. He is an installation partner on the CTEC Solar/127 Energy crew working to install our borrower Sunwealth’s 220-kW solar system on the roof of a Whole Foods Market in Sudbury, MA. Mr. Urzua is a former chef and brings the attention to detail he learned in the kitchen to his work in solar.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
Dylan Gehrken and his company Greasecycle collect and refine millions of pounds of used cooking oil and waste trap grease from North Carolina businesses for biofuel and compost each year. Partner Community Capital provided Greasecycle with a loan to purchase equipment and construct a grease trap waste processing facility at an industrial site in Raleigh, NC. The processing plant not only expedites the recycling process but gives Greasecycle and its competitors an affordable alternative to transporting the waste significant distances for disposal.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
The Rio Betulia Hydroelectric Power Plant is a project funded by our borrower the Honduras Renewable Energy Financing Facility and General Equipment Supply SA, which provides renewable energy to local communities.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
SDG Impact
The Republic of Seychelles launched the world’s first sovereign blue bond to support its sustainable marine and fisheries projects. The bond demonstrates the potential for countries to harness capital markets for financing the sustainable use of marine resources. Proceeds from the $15 million bond issuance will include support for the expansion of marine protected areas, improved governance of priority fisheries and the development of the Seychelles’ blue economy.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
Casal is a family run shade grown coffee plantation that helps preserve biodiversity and sequesters CO2 through its agroforestry system. Financing farms like Casal helps contribute to the eco.business Fund’s mission to preserve biodiversity and promote the sustainable use of natural resources.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
Finance is critical to achieving each and every SDG, and is an essential component of SDG 17. An estimated $2.5 trillion annual financing gap exists for developing countries - a gap that has widened even further during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), "the international community faces unprecedented challenges to implement the holistic financing strategy...trillions of dollars in financial assets held by asset managers, banks, and institutional investors are contributing to inequalities and unsustainable practice."
We know we can reverse that trend with our investors as our partners. Our work to build a more equitable and sustainable world is more important now that ever, and is top of mind for our team with every loan we make and partnership we forge. We are committed to moving faster, thinking bigger, and working together. We are forging new partnerships, developing new products, and reaching new audiences and new markets. We are committed to meeting this moment with the urgency it demands, as demonstrated by our impact:
PRODUCTS & SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THIS SDG
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